Ask the average person what special day is celebrated in May, and most will say Mother's Day.
Ask sports fans who athletes most often thank when they are interviewed on television, and most are likely to say their moms.
Now ask someone in what month does the country celebrate National Sports Moms Month, and I bet you would be met with a lot of quizzical looks.
Fact is that, up until now, there hasn't been such a month, at least one that I could find (although I bet that, push came to shove, loyal readers of momsTEAM might guess May).
So momsTEAM has decided to just go ahead and simply declare May as Sports Moms Month. Why not? After all, its momsTEAM that, for the past twelve years, has been highlighting the important role that sports moms play in keeping our kids safe, in fighting to make sure our kids are treated fairly, and that moms have the tools they need to wear the many hats that a sports mom dons every day (chauffeur, child psychologist, nutritionist, or what one survey called the "Chief Everything Officer"). Who better than us to honor and celebrate the wonderful role sports moms play, not just in their families and local communities, but on the national level as well?
Starting today, and continuing for the entire month of May, we will be featuring a new blog from a sports mom, including moms of Olympic athletes, moms who were themselves Olympic athletes, moms who coach, and moms who officiate games.
We will kick off the month with a blog from Wella Peirsol Hartig, mother of two Olympic athletes: her son, Aaron Peirsol, a seven-time Olympic medalist and the holder of two world records in the men's backstroke, and her daughter, Hayley Peirsol, just the third woman in the world to break the 16-minute mark in the 1500-meter freestyle, among other accomplishments. We will hear from Wella the need for parents to step back and let their children "own" their sport, in the sense of finding internal motivation as opposed to parental pressure.
Our hope is that, after reading blogs from sports moms like Wella, you will not only have a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart, but will feel honored and celebrated for what you do, day in and day out, as a sports mom.
It is our way of saying, like the athletes on television, thank you to moms for the often thankless job you do. We hope you will find the blogs interesting, empowering, and informative, and that you will share them with all of the moms (and dads) in your life.
And, if you know of a sports mom who has her own special wisdom and story to share, please send an email to delench@momsteam.com.
