“Where’s your medal?” asked the eight-year-old boy looking at a picture of my family.
In the picture, my daughter, son, and husband all wore medals around their necks. 
That’s because one weekend my daughter’s hockey team won a tournament, so she got a medal. Then my son’s hockey team won a tournament, so he got a medal. Because my husband was the head coach of my son’s team, he got a medal, too.
But there was no medal for me.
There SHOULD be a medal for hockey moms, though.
Indeed, a medal for hockey moms should be awarded for meritorious service in:
-Providing undying support when your kids win
-Providing undying support when your kids lose
-Making endless trips to the local rink
-Making endless trips to out-of-town tournaments
-Freezing your butt off at the rink
-Lugging around a blanket even in the summer months
-Paying ice fees
-Then paying team fees
-And then paying for equipment, good Lord, all the hockey equipment
-Don’t forget paying for hotels and meals at tournaments
-Enduring stinky car rides with equipment and sweaty players
-Driving a certain kind of car just because it’s big enough for all the hockey equipment
-Listening to refs make some bad calls or some crazed parent from the other team ring a cowbell
-Saying encouraging things to help your kids get better, stronger, tougher
-Enduring eye rolls, blank stares or polite “thanks” from your kids after all the encouraging things you said to help them get better, stronger, tougher
-Tolerating hockey rink coffee
-Or spending big bucks on Starbucks coffee
-Getting skates sharpened
-Tying skates tight enough when the kids were younger
-Buying team warm ups and hoodies
-Wearing personal clothes in team colors
-Cheering wildly for your kids
I could go on, but I’ll stop. After all, I need time to make 2 trips to the rink later. Nonetheless, now you know all the reasons why hockey moms deserve a medal!
What would you add?
Moms deserve so much more than medals! You’re a super mom and your medal is the smiles on the faces of your whole family! Keep on keeping on!
#GlobalBlogging
Thanks Sara! The smiles on our faces make all the craziness of tournament weekend worth it.
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…If Hockey Moms Got A Medal
Making sure everyone is fed…. good meals before early morning games, early dinners to get to the rink on time, snacks for in between games…
Yes, yes, yes, yes!! I admit I’m terrible at the snacks. Mostly I throw money at the chocolate milks at the concessions stands. 🙂
Yes to freezing your butt off! Is it bad to admit that I steered my kids toward sports I wouldn’t mind sitting and watching for their entire childhood?
Pro tip: at least hockey is timed and there are no weather delays. As opposed to baseball which can go on FOR-EVAH and have rain delays.
Last year both my son and daughter’s hockey teams won the state tournament for their divisions. My husband coached both teams so they all got trophies. My daughter felt bad that I was the only one in the family without a trophy. With the help of her grandparents she bought me one for my birthday the next month that says “Champion Hockey Mom.” It sits on my desk and I look at it every day! All of us hockey moms deserve a trophy for everything you mentioned in your article. I love being a hockey mom and will be very sad when the day comes when I don’t have to look at the calendar to see what rink I’m driving to next.
That is awesome!! I love it that you are a Champion Hockey Mom!
I’m with you that it will be sad when it’s all over. My son is a freshman and so it’s only a few more years for him. 🙁
Ah to add managing the team and resolving conflict games, booking extra ice, feeding the whole team at tournaments, making sure the coaches got their mom made smoothies on road trips too so they wouldnt get hangrey, listening to complaints about ice time, refs, being the safety manager, serviving a roll over on the way to a tournament with all the team jerseys, food and cots, and your own amazing son and still getting to the final destination with it all so he could play, booking provincial accomindations on your creditcard hoping all the parents would pay you before the bill date, talking to amazing new people, reminding teams of dressing room behaviour expectations, being ‘brave’ enough to ask questions of coaches even though he doesnt want me too, 50/50 sales, filling in game sheets, organizing raffles for tourniments, letting you move away from home at 17 and helping juggle and research courses so you could graduate, sending care packages,
And you know what I do have my medal – the smile on his face when I see him playing the game he loves more that anything in the world. And I would do it and more all over again to keep the smile on face.
Awww…yes you do have your medal!
BTW, the managers on our teams do get a medal. I’m pretty sure. If not, they definitely should!
I fortunately dodged a bullet on the hockey front. My son “FINALLY” got to play when he went to college! However, I was a swim mom and so I completely understand almost all of your points here, Katy. I would add that moms should get a medal for “kindly storing all of the medals (and trophies) when the darlings go off to college and no longer revere the medals but don’t have the heart to throw them away when they redo their rooms.”
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Kelly, you always know how to make me laugh!
My parents only very recently brought me all my old high school trophies. My dad suggested I pry the faceplate off each one and just keep that portion. I can’t even remember what I did with any or all pieces of my precious awards.
Katy recently posted…If Hockey Moms Got A Medal
Labor of love for sure my son started skating at 2 and a half he is 13 and I would not change anything except for time flying by I will be very sad when he is done hockey! You meet so many people that become your family forever because they get what you are doing! Best sport ever
Yes, yes yes! Such a great hockey community. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I have a snack bag and blanket bag full of EVERYTHING! My husband is the coach and both of my boys play hockey so I just throw everything in there so I don’t forget anything. The endless supply of hot hands and thermos full of good coffee from home! I love this post so much. Thank you for sharing!
Aw, thanks for reading and commenting! Hockey moms are such an awesome group!! We totally get each other and why we do it. 🙂
Hockey requires a serious amount of time and equipment, you definitely deserve a medal…and wine! #GlobalBlogging
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I may or may not have indulged in some wine while tailgating before a hockey game. 🙂
There should be a medal for bleacher butt. My kids don’t play hockey, but hear all the stories from friends. It’s a serious time and financial commitment!
ha ha ha! Here’s an award for Bleacher Butt!
You definitely deserve a medal for being…a deserving Mom! I bet you have loads of fun with the youngsters around too…
You absolutely do deserve a medal Mrs. Lovely picture of you above by the way. Maybe you can introduce the mum medal to the mix. I’m sure other mums would appreciate the sentiment and you may end up getting one back. Or maybe a crown if we are really going for it. Look forward to a picture of you wearing it. Thanks for sharing with #tweensteensbeyond
Nicky Kentisbeer recently posted…Tweens, Teens & Beyond Linky – Week #37
Nicky, you’re brilliant! If I was a savvy entrepreneur, I would go into the Mom Medal market.
Thanks for noticing the picture, too. A semi-professional took it–I love it as well.
We also know where everything is all the time and we wash all the gear and have it ready by the next match/training session. We also have the phone numbers of the pother mums and coach on speed dial. You are so right, there is a very long list of medals we never earn but totally deserve, like being a 24/7 nurse, psychotherapist, teacher, chef, housekeeper, taxi driver etc etc…..#TweensTeensBeyond
Yes to the washing and cleaning of gear! Yes to collecting and using all the other parents’ and coach’s phone numbers! Yes to the 24/7 roles!!
Can I throw football mums into the mix as well? I get my own back for this slightly though. I sing in a choir, we perform three times a year, and yes my teens have to come and watch me. I see it as payback for all the times I’ve stood freezing at the side of a football pitch lol! #TweensTeensBeyond
Of course you totally deserve a medal!! So often we are content to bask in the reflected glory of our kids but it would be very nice to be acknowledged for our contribution! Without us, the whole thing would fall apart. I am sending you a virtual medal and a big ‘Well Done!!’ Thanks so much for sharing with us at #TweensTeensBeyond
Oh i agree! I have lost count of the number of freezing cold pitches I have stood on, making small talk with people that mean nothing to me whilst my daughter plays yet another hockey game! The season is coming to an end here and I can’t wait. Then it will be on to supporting my son play cricket. Congratulations to your family and I hope they thanked you for your unwavering support. #TweensTeensBeyond
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