Parents How do you juggle other kids/activities?

[LJL07]

How do those of you with kids in other activities do it? My oldest daughter (11) does competitive soccer and it involves travel over the whole weekend. Her season is just starting back up, and we just got dates for games and tournaments. Just about all of them conflict with my younger daughter's gym meets. Aghhhhh!!! My husband has been designated as the soccer parent, and I have gotten designated as gymnastics parent. I hate to miss so many of my daughter's games, but I know her preference is to have dad at the games (he used to coach and knows more about soccer), and younger daughter prefers to have me at meets. Should we sit the girls down and talk about it, and see what each wants as far as which parent goes to what? Just split up for everything? There are many more soccer games than gym meets at least since there are about 3 games in a tournament weekend. I cannot even imagine when our youngest daughter starts gymnastics team what we will do. My husband and I need clones! Thanks!

 

[wallinbl]

We trade off. I missed the first two gym meets for soccer games, but I'll be the one flying out of town to the away meets and missing soccer those weekends.

For practice nights, carpool!

 

[LJL07]

It's hard! I hate to miss any of their stuff!

 

[MILgymFAM]

It's a huge pain, I can say that. I only have two kids and both are gymnasts, but at different gyms and in different disciplines. I am the only one to take them to everything so the schedule is painstakingly maintained.

Meet season schedules had me biting my nails and my older dd is missing two meets because I can't be in two places at once. Twice they will still have meets the same weekend- last weekend was once, and it was a loooong weekend. It was younger dd's home meet so we also worked it.

Between the two I drive over 200 miles a week for gym and sit at the two gyms about 15 hours combined (I stay to save gas- that would be over 400 miles if I went home). Plus meets. I also cook dinner everyday before school is out to pack up and eat on the road. It's all rather exhausting to be honest.

I guess I would rather miss some of each than have to be the one to do it all, if I had the choice.

 

[3gymgirlsmom]

This makes me happy that my kids are all in the same sport , DD3 she is not competeng yet but she practices the same nights (well 2 of them) as the older girls

 

[bogwoppit]

Divide and conquer. I have even had both girls competing on the same weekend in different towns. It is crazy but you can make it work. It usually involves a video camera.

 

[myliljunebugs]

I'm a single mom so I have had to just make them pick things that work together. (Dad is in another state so he can't help). DS picked baseball in the spring as his sport and thankfully it is just down the street from DD's gym and starts just before the end of meet season so it shouldn't interfere with that. Then he will do competitive swim in the same town with the same basic hours (I don't know her exact practice hours for this summer yet) this summer, so that's easy. This next fall he wants football, but I don't know if we will do that or not. If he does, I will enlist the help of a friend when needed. Thankfully he doesn't play basketball because I don't know how I would swing that right in the middle of competition season!

 

[blueredzone]

Right now both of our kids are in gymnastics. One is on team and one is in rec. I travel for work, but I will end up taking them to there sport 9 times out of 10. I don't look at it like wasting money on driving 3 hours back to get them to gym. I look at it like its my responsibility to give my kids what they need to be successful. Plus that is why I work so hard.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

We got sooooo lucky this year that there was only one minor conflict with my competitive dance DD..and neither kid has too much travel this year either. But who knows what next year will bring?! Like Bog says, divide and conquer! Good luck

 

[GYM0M]

Wait,.......that's right! I DO have other kids! Lol, jk! It's an impossible balance! Now, if I could just remember their names......hahaha!

 

[auswi]

We have other kids in rep sport as well as an elite track gymmy.

We try to equally share the trips for each child although some times that's not possible.
Although Dd worries about Dhs hair fixing ability, we have worked through this - other team mums lined up to help if needed.

With our kids we didn't want them to have more/less time with one parent as in the long run we felt they needed the time with both parents.

We discussed this openly with the kids and they are all on board and find things to enjoy about each parent taking them.

 

[profmom]

For the next two weekends, DH and I are dividing and conquering even though the upcoming meets are each a (looooong) one-day trip. Part of the reason is so that we can go to eldest's indoor futsal games/scrimmages, even though they are very low stakes and are more for practice than anything else. I'm uncomfortably aware that he is a tenth grader and he'll be heading off to college before we know it.

 

[mimi]

We are in the same boat. I seem to be the gymnastics parent and my husband the soccer parent. It does make me feel guilty that I miss so many of my younger dd's soccer games. We have the added complication of Saturday practices so when it is my turn for gymnastics carpool I miss soccer games for gymnastics practices. . Thankfully some of the soccer games fall on Sundays so I can mostly make it to those. Honestly it is a relief we only have the two kids or else I have no idea how we would juggle anything more! Anyone remember what it is like to have a relaxing weekend?

 

[lemondrop]

My DS plays a high-level pf travel hockey. Older DD is on level 4 team and is also a competitive figure skater. Younger DD is on pre-team right now, and does rec soccer in the spring and fall. My husband is out of town for work for about half the month every month. I also work full-time, but don't have to travel very frequently. When my husband is home, we pretty much divide and conquer. For example, in a few weeks DD has one of her biggest meets of the season in Chicago. DS has a hockey tournament in Nashville Tennessee. So, I am going to gymnastics, and my husband is going to hockey. Little DD will get to decide who she wants to go with, but I'm pretty sure she'll pick gymnastics! In the fall, there was one weekend where I had to drive to Michigan on a Thursday for hockey games on Friday. On Friday night, my husband drove in after coming back from a trip, and took over the Michigan tournament, while I drove back to Chicago, to handle a gymnastics meet on Saturday morning. I was also trying to close a huge deal for work during this period of time, and my poor son was subjected to several really boring conference calls (on Bluetooth) during our drive to Michigan. On an every day basis, I am lucky because my parents live nearby and help me with pick ups and drop off as needed. Agree though, that it becomes pretty exhausting. March is somewhat of a break month for hockey, as the regular season has ended, but spring hockey has not yet begun. I am looking forward to it. Maybe then I can put away the six baskets of clean laundry that are sitting in my family room, and that my family has pretty much been getting dressed out of for the last week.

 

[lemondrop]

To the original poster, sorry, I guess my comment above was more of a rant than very helpful to you! We do talk to the kids when there are conflicts and explain how we have decided to divide things up. If it is possible, we try to find out what their preferences are as to which parent takes them where before we make the final decision. But, they understand that if they want to do their sports, they need to go with the flow as far as how we handle the logistics.

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

I have one gymmie (L5, 10yo) and a serious dancer (13yo) who recently went from classical ballet to competitive dance. The seasons run simultaneously, of course, and we live in a smaller town where there are NO competitions locally for either gym or dance. We will have some conflicts this year and I have already made arrangements to have one go with another family for one event and the other go with someone else for a different event. My DH works a lot and cannot take off to be there if the meet is 3-4hrs drive away as they usually are. The dance competitions run from Friday to Sunday and he definitely cannot attend those. We also have large dogs that would need to be kenneled (1hr drive there and an added cost) even if DH was able to take time off and go....

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Now, of course I WANT to watch both my kids, love to watch them do what they love to do, but sometimes it's not going to be possible.
For day to day life, I drive back and forth between the gym and the studio a LOT! they at least have practice at similar times, both go pretty much every day right after school and it works out to where I can drop one off and drive on to the next stop, watch for a bit, go back to stop 1, watch for a bit (and work, I work there as well), pick up, drive back to stop 2 and watch for a bit, pick up and finally go home usually 8:30 or 9, 30min drive home.

 

[Mrs. Puma]

My DS plays a high-level pf travel hockey. Older DD is on level 4 team and is also a competitive figure skater. Younger DD is on pre-team right now, and does rec soccer in the spring and fall. My husband is out of town for work for about half the month every month. I also work full-time, but don't have to travel very frequently. When my husband is home, we pretty much divide and conquer. For example, in a few weeks DD has one of her biggest meets of the season in Chicago. DS has a hockey tournament in Nashville Tennessee. So, I am going to gymnastics, and my husband is going to hockey. Little DD will get to decide who she wants to go with, but I'm pretty sure she'll pick gymnastics! In the fall, there was one weekend where I had to drive to Michigan on a Thursday for hockey games on Friday. On Friday night, my husband drove in after coming back from a trip, and took over the Michigan tournament, while I drove back to Chicago, to handle a gymnastics meet on Saturday morning. I was also trying to close a huge deal for work during this period of time, and my poor son was subjected to several really boring conference calls (on Bluetooth) during our drive to Michigan. On an every day basis, I am lucky because my parents live nearby and help me with pick ups and drop off as needed. Agree though, that it becomes pretty exhausting. March is somewhat of a break month for hockey, as the regular season has ended, but spring hockey has not yet begun. I am looking forward to it. Maybe then I can put away the six baskets of clean laundry that are sitting in my family room, and that my family has pretty much been getting dressed out of for the last week.

And I thought WE had a crazy life...you win! LOL!

 

[Mrs. Puma]

I have one gymmie (L5, 10yo) and a serious dancer (13yo) who recently went from classical ballet to competitive dance. The seasons run simultaneously, of course, and we live in a smaller town where there are NO competitions locally for either gym or dance. We will have some conflicts this year and I have already made arrangements to have one go with another family for one event and the other go with someone else for a different event. My DH works a lot and cannot take off to be there if the meet is 3-4hrs drive away as they usually are. The dance competitions run from Friday to Sunday and he definitely cannot attend those. We also have large dogs that would need to be kenneled (1hr drive there and an added cost) even if DH was able to take time off and go....

My older one is a competative dancer, so I hear you! This is her first year having a solo so I know there's potential for it to be Fri/Sat/Sun....this year we're actually ok, but if there were a conflict I'd have to go with her. No way my husband could do all that hair/makeup/costume changes! Lol DD likes me to braid her hair, but in a pinch she could just do a ponytail. She came home the other day saying that HC may add a meet...we are pretty close to booked these next few months! Very high disaster potential here....oh well, we always figure it out somehow!

 

[Anna's_Mom]

I'm very grateful that my kids both do sports that don't have competitions every weekend -- my son is a fencer. So far we've lucked out that there hasn't been any meet overlaps, but this year gymnastics added the spring meets (last year it was only fall) so that may change. Right now both parents try to get to both kid's sports but if we have a conflict then we would rotate.

During the week the practice schedule is really crazy though -- DD as gym 5 days and DS has fencing 3. Naturally they mostly start and end about the same times. Both kids are really used to being dropped off early or picked up late, even with two parents to drive! Both of us parents work, so we are also working around office schedules, and my husband travels some. The gym complained at first that I was dropping her off early or picking her up late -- they aren't supposed to be there unsupervised. But I pretty much said "this or nothing" and they backed down a little. I did tell them I understood they weren't responsible for her outside of the designated practice hours. She's almost 12, so it's not like she needs constant watching. DS is 15 so I'm looking forward to him being able to drive next year!