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Why Tennis?
This past weekend, my husband took my son to his tourney, and I took the weekend off. It’s not the first time my son and his dad have gone without me to an out-of-town tournament, but it IS the first time they’ve gone without me when I had no commitments other than to catch up on some much-needed alone time.
On Friday afternoon, after finishing the laundry and picking up the necessary groceries, I watched as my two guys packed and loaded up the car then headed off to Alabama (my son finally got directly into a Southern Level 3 tourney, bypassing the dreaded Alternate List altogether!). An hour later, I was in my jammies watching a replay of the Dubai semi-final matches, eating popcorn and Oreos for dinner – HEAVENLY!
And, while I did check in with the boys periodically just to see how the tournament was going, mostly I did absolutely nothing other than sleep, eat, read, and watch tv. Two whole days of complete laziness.
If you are the primary tournament-going parent, here’s some advice for you:
1. It’s not healthy for you (or for your player) to be the one who ALWAYS accompanies him to the tournaments. If possible, let the other parent or the coach take a turn from time to time. It will give you a well-deserved break and will give your player another perspective. It may also give your spouse a new-found understanding of what really goes on when you’re away with your child.
2. When you DO have the opportunity to take a weekend off, really take it OFF. Try to spend at least part of the weekend doing something just for you, whether it’s catching up on your favorite tv series, going for a walk, meeting a friend for lunch, or simply sleeping in.
It was really nice to be home alone, but two days were plenty. I’m feeling rejuvenated and ready to repay to my husband the gift of alone-time next weekend when my son and I head to Augusta for another Southern Level 3. I hope he can find a way to enjoy it as much as I did.
