Sports/ Stage Moms and why I hate them.

This weekend I went away for the weekend for my children to participate in a gymnastics performance demo. Just a demo, they are recreational athletes and non-competitive. They are both enormously talented little girls (if I do say so myself), but the commitment for competitive gymnastics was just too much for all of us, so we went with the performance group. They rehearse for a couple hours a week, perform approximately once a month, and they LOVE it. They love their coaches, and have come a long way flexibility and body control wise in the last 9 months, I am super pleased.

Watching the performers I realized I am so not a stage mom. I loved watching my little monkeys perform, but I enjoyed watching everyone else as well. Listening to some comments around me made me want to vomit. Complaints about costumes, and kids, and music chosen, and the fact that some of the gymnasts performing were from competitive teams. Most of our junior team stayed at a different hotel than the senior team because the "stage mom" who was organizing it had her nose out of joint because so many parents didn't choose her hotel (which btw was a 30 minute drive from the venue- the hotel we stayed at was a 10 minute walk.) I have one kid on the junior team, and one on the senior. There are a couple parents on the junior team that just.....bother me.

You know the type- bossy and opinionated/ their kid was on this team last year so they know more than anyone, including the coaches/ overweight and dressed like they are 17 - lululemon yoga pants and hoodies/ loud and obnoxious at team meetings. Generally fucking annoying.

They are the "Toddlers & Tiaras" moms, the "Dance Moms" moms. The ones who can't get off their ass to get a life of their own, so they live through their children. I have watched those 2 shows once each time...and the mothers are a train wreck. Certainly the moms I see at gymnastics aren't quite as bad, but they are still.....sad.

I watch my children and am bursting with pride. Even if they trip, or forget a step, or mess up the dance, I still think they are great. I ALSO watched 24 other groups perform and clapped and cheered for each and every one. They all worked hard, they all did wonderfully, and they are CHILDREN. They don't have to make it perfect. And if you don't like their costumes, or their music, or their routine...that is not their problem, it's yours stage mom. (insert hockey mom, soccer mom etc in there- they are just as annoying, if not more.)

So for all those stage moms, bitching that your kid doesn't get enough time to showcase their individual talents, or all those sports moms screaming in the stands for their kid to knock the shit out of another team,  or screaming at the referees etc.....my advice is to get a life. Seriously.