Many mothers and fathers bond with their sons and daughters through sports.
Some go to games together. Some toss balls together. Some huddle together in front of the TV.
When my son turns on a basketball game or football game on TV in our den, I sit down on the couch to watch it with him.
Usually I begin to ask questions because the rules baffle me. Or I ask who so-and-so is because they seem to defy gravity.
Often I am shushed.
So, I sit there in silence, happy just to hang in the presence of my adorable child.
But, not all moms and dads, or their kids, are sporty. So bonding over a sport doesn’t always work.
The key is figuring out what your child likes to do and doing it with them.
The closest my daughter and I come to bonding over sports, is shopping for sportswear.
We have a mad and loyal love for Lululemon. (Don’t judge.)
In fact, when my daughter flies in from NYC this weekend for the long President’s Weekend, we will most definitely be hitting the Lululemon in our neighborhood.
It’s not just that their pants are so comfortable and flattering when on, but they’re, “OMG, SO CUTE!”
New styles pop up faster that Justin Bieber sports a new tattoo.
My daughter favors the super-straight running pant, and I prefer the bell-bottom yoga pant. (You can take the girl out of the 70s, but you can’t take the 70s out of the girl.)
Standing side-by-side touching the soft, stretchy fabrics, we ooh and ahh over their stylish designs in unison. And regale each other with an account of our latest workout.
Her boot camp. My power walk.
Our casual conversations let us glide easily into mother-daughter heart-to-hearts. There’s no other place I’d rather be.
Schlepping our load to the cashier is a workout in itself. The grand total of our purchases causes me to almost faint, but then sporting event tickets are pricey, too.
Our time together?
Priceless.
I took my daughter shopping for the first time over the weekend. She’s 11. It sounds crazy but until now we have usually zipped through target for dog food and household cleaners and grabbed some clothing along the way 🙂
It was on believably fun and I could see it being the start of a new tradition
Oh, it is so much fun! I love every minute of it.
Good for you adapting to each child and connecting with their interests rather than the one size fits all! Doesn’t matter how old . Of course then there is food to bond with too!
A good friend called me to say she won Motherhood award.Her 30 year old son asked her to go furniture shopping with him for her opinion after they go out to the breakfast place she likes!
In my family, bonding over food is a given 🙂
YES! I love shopping and sports!
It’s the best!