More Hockey Lessons

Part 2, continued from last week.

As I wrote last week, there have been many times, with both of my boys playing hockey, that I have wondered, do we really have to do this? 😂 There is a lot of waiting: waiting for the game to start, waiting for the game to end (kidding, it’s fun to see how the game goes of course), waiting for the boys to hurry up and change after the game. Waiting to get to any destination for the game or home afterwards. It’s quite time consuming. And I am sure there are lots of things that any hockey parent could be doing instead of all that waiting. Even if you don’t have a hobby, it’s nice to have a clean house or have time to do laundry.

The thing is, that because it provides the boys with a skill, a hobby and a goal to work towards – improving in some way, it is worth it. It would have been easier to say, no, let’s not sign up for hockey, it’s a big commitment. But I think if you want to progress or do well at anything, that thing would be a commitment too, whether it be hockey or not. Thinking back to my piano lesson days, I had lessons weekly, plus I had a commitment of one hour practice per day. Still a commitment, even if it’s in the comfort of my own home.

They’ve made a lot of friends, doing a healthy activity. It keeps them out of trouble as they go through teenage years. Especially if you emphasize the right lessons. The other thing is, it’s where a lot of my husband’s family actually get to see the boys fairly regularly. His aunts and uncles come out to games, his grandma and sister as well. They want to know when we will be in Victoria for games and then they take that opportunity to see them play and visit and watch with us.

So the takeaway is, it brings people together. I hadn’t fully appreciated this before, but it’s true. The hockey parents get to know each other, if not during all the waiting, then certainly for any fundraisers that are planned – as well as the Gems of the parents that initiate activities to include everyone. The kids in the hockey association area are from a few communities close to us, so they make friends from the schools near us, not just their school. And our younger boy, who also plays ‘spring hockey’ means they play with kids from various towns on Vancouver Island. As it’s considered more ‘competitive’ they have to draw kids from all over to make up a team. Now, during regular season, he plays against these kids that he has played spring hockey with before. Playing against one of these teams, a friend from the spring team just wanted to visit with Owen on the ice when they were facing off in a game two weekends ago: “how’s it going Owen?” And had lots to say.

All our friends (well most) that we socialize with are from hockey. We have spent tournament weekends, even some travel tournaments with families that we consider to be friends. Our boy in grade 12, takes part in the school hockey academy and that’s been a chance for kids in various grades from his school to play together even if they are on different teams. They build lifelong friends and connections and so do we, as parents. As someone who didn’t grow up participating in team sports and had no idea what to expect, the part that brings people together has been something that I am grateful for.

Sending Love,

Devon