I am Not Just the Coach's Wife...I'm a Mom, Too!

This is the time of year that I love...and also that I begin to experience some trepidation about. It is hockey season once again, and tryouts are just a few weeks away.

I am one of the fortunate one's, as I was recently reminded by another hockey mom, because my husband is the coach so I always know what team my son will be on. Yes, this is true. But I am not just the coach's wife...I am also a hockey mom who wants to have other hockey mom friends. AND not necessarily hockey mom friends who find me suitable only so long as their child plays on my husband's team.

The challenge I face this time of year is not knowing who will be my friend after Labor Day. Who will make the team, who will not. I have been fortunate in meeting some amazing people who have actually stuck with me even when their son has not stayed on my husband's team--these are my true hockey friends. I have also encountered those who give the passing glance, then turn to comment to their "new" friends--people on the new team that have become the new confidants. While I fully recognize I am better off without these people in my life, it is always disappointing to learn that I have been foolish to believe they were friends, if even for a season.

Being a hockey parent, particularly a "travel" hockey parent, means that you spend a great deal of time with the other parents on your team. You literally travel together to games and tournaments, eating meals together, having conversations together, and even hanging out together when there isn't a game going on. They become your extended family, many times spending Thanksgiving together because of a tournament you are at. Some of my best friends today are my hockey friends--they are the one's we are with most of the time, as hockey does take up a great deal of our lives.

So please know, while I might be a fortunate one to have a husband who is the coach, I also struggle each year to face the truth of who are our real friends...