ahh the crisp smells of fall in the air and apple sauce simmering on the stove.  Red wine is brought out of storage and the white is put away. Boots and coats come out of the closet as we transition to the next season.

And cleats. And shinpads and soccer kit litters the entry floor.

It is soccer season again, and this year we have three kids all playing.

At THE SAME TIME.

This is the burden of the soccer mom, and the soccer family, and you try to balance everyone’s game, and practices while still attempting to maintain a life.

We have been a soccer family for 5 years now, and each kid has been the same.

And today, as I stood on the field with my son who was starting soccer for the first time, I looked at the faces around me and saw the looks of understanding.

Being a soccer mom, (or parent) sometimes sucks.

It sucks when your son has spent 3 months walking around in his soccer kit, practicing his kick and is desperately excited to play and then this happens:

it sucks. when you have to run laps with your Three year old and forgot to wear a belt. I sucks when you need to bribe your other child to go on the field with the three year old (because parents aren’t allowed) and in the end, everyone just ends up eating sandwiches & playing with their cars,  instead of playing soccer.

It really, really, really sucks that after 55 minutes of trying to get your three year old to play with the team, after running back and forth across the field (with your pants falling down) and bribing your other child (and using up all your spare cash in the process) that said three year old decides he DOES love soccer and storms after the ball.

And as you sit there for those 4 minutes of him playing soccer, and watch your little dude run around with a smile on his face, it IS all worth it, and you realize you ARE a soccer mom. You are willing to get sweaty and stinky and lose your pants on the field just so your little one will feel the thrill of a great kick. You will suffer the sting of cutting oranges at 7 in the morning, and coffee burns on your tongue as you attempt to warm your core after 2hrs in the December cold.  The piles of snacks and the sitting on the sidelines in all sorts of horrendous weather becomes worth it in the end.

Because in the end, they love it. And so do you.