It's football season!
Today I'm talking about what it takes
to be a football mom (and dad) and support your son!
My son is in his 3rd year of being
a High School Football Player.
There are so many things a mom needs to know to support her son.
I feel like I might be starting to get the hang of it.
Today I'm sharing my tips with you!
Be there
It's very surprising that many players do not have
family in the stands to support them.
My son acts like he's embarrassed of me
when I
me and the rest of his family.
He knows he can glace in the stands and see
us there rooting for him!
Wear school colors
It shows support for your team!
And purchasing clothing or spirit wear
supports the clubs financially!
Be in the booster club
Again, another surprising thing to me
is how few parents support the booster club.
The booster club for the football team
provides game day meals and water to each
player for both home and away games,
helps with field maintenance,
helps with practice needs,
offsets transportation costs,
helps buy cleaning supplies for the locker room
and so much more!
All booster clubs need all the
help and volunteer support they can get!!
Buy food at the game
You need to eat anyway!
This supports not only your booster
club, but the boosters at other schools.
Carry cash
It costs money to enter football games and
most ticket booths do not take cards.
Wear layers
The weather can range from HOT
to chilly to down right cold by the end of the season.
Bring seating or blankets
Bleachers are not comfortable at all.
I also keep *bug spray, *sun screen, extra blankets,
first aid kit, lysol or febreeze in my car.
Those items come in handy all the time.
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At home
Football players practice A LOT and
burn a ton of calories.
Make sure players are eating foods high in protein.
Protein gives energy to work hard
and build muscle.
We use protein shakes, protein bars,
protein balls- our fave recipes
Cinnamon vanilla
Peanut Butter
no bake energy balls
eggs and meat.
My son also likes to add protein powder to instant oatmeal.
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Players need to stay hydrated while practicing.
But did you know that they need to pre and post
hydrate as well?
At practice if they drink too much, it can cause
an upset stomach.
So they need to be hydrated before they even go to practice!
My son carries around a gallon jug of water all day
and drinks at least that, if not more.
Have ice packs and ibuprofen on hand
for sore muscles.
We also show our support by
having a football door hanger
and football season garden flag at our house!
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Washing Clothes
Oh boy.
Football players practice clothes STINK!!
Hard to believe my sweet baby boy can smell that bad!
And it can be hard to get the smell out of their clothes.
After practice I have my son lay his
wet (ew) clothes on a *drying rack
instead of wadding them up in a ball
or putting them in the laundry hamper
to contaminate all of the other laundry.
When I wash them,
I spray the pits and any stains with *stain spray
and put them in the washer on an extended cycle.
This usually gets the smells out.
But if not, I put them through a second cycle.
It also helps to let them tumble for a few minutes in the
dryer, then pull them out and hang them to dry.
If the clothes are extra soiled and smelly,
I set them out in the sun.
Somehow the sun works wonders to get smells out.
For shoes
I put rubbing alcohol in a *small spray bottle,
then spray the soles of stinky shoes.
As the alcohol evaporates, it takes most
of the smell away.
Setting the shoes outside,
with the laces loosened and tongues pulled forward
so the sun can reach the sole,
helps a lot too.
Missing Practice or games is not a punishment
Coaches and other teammates are relying on each player
to be there, practicing and playing every day.
If you make your child miss practice for misbehavior
it affects everyone on the team.
Watching your son play football is hard, exhilarating,
joyful, exhausting and exciting!