Anyone remember...?

...past discussions about being a sports mom? The natural order that develops among the parents (usually, but not always, the chauffeuring moms)?

There are those who drop off and sit in their car, those that leave and go grocery shopping, those that sit and read a book or clean out their purse, those who watch every move on the playing field, regardless whether it's practice or a game, and those who chitchat with the other parents.

Back in June, I blogged about baseball, and how I moved from the book reading mom to the chitchat mom; because it was a really nice group of parents. None too obsessive or crazy about their kid's participation, not to "helicopter-y", just normal. And friendly. And not too cliquey.

Well, we're into the football and hockey teams and soccer too (as a rec program). Since soccer is a rec program, and there are some younger kids, most parents bring a canvas chair and hang around. They've progressed to splitting into 2 teams and playing games, so I hang around; although I did leave during practices to run errands. I'm sociable with those parents sitting around me, but I also bring a magazine or catalog to browse through. Nothing as attention intensive as a book; but really, when the kids are picking dandelions and looking at the clouds, how involved can I be? When DD is playing, I cheer her on, and pay attention. She's good, involved and paying attention. She's also one of the older kids since they merged the younger and older programs after we signed up. :-(

So, football is a school sport, so I know some of the parents in a nod,how are you kind of way, but I don't sit with a group or seek out the other parents to chit chat. So far, so good. I usually have DD with me and we goof around. take pics of the game, and I do the purse clean-out thing.

Hockey is a whole 'nother beast. DH was doing the practice drop-offs, but he's away last week and this week, so I've been doing it. This is a big hockey town, maybe because of our proximity to the frozen lakes of Canada or the fact that a pro hov=ckey team is in the next city to our west.

These parents have been in hockey for YEARS, and know all the programs, the coaches, the travel teams, etc. Ugh. It's apparently quite the little clique. It's not that they're *not friendly, I just don't KNOW them and I'm not in their world. At all.

Last week, I stayed at Number One Son's practice (at the rinky dink rink) because it didn't make sense to leave. I brought a book, but managed some polite chitchat with the other mom sitting there. Another mom came along and I listened in on some of the conversation....whoa, was she into it. Rattling off names, and coaches and teams and tournaments and leagues..... I could only smile politely and nod my head since I had no clue what she was talking about. Thank God for my book.

I'm safe at the big rink because I can go up to the bar that overlooks the rink and get my Black Forest beer and (you guessed it!) sweet potato fries.

This morning, practice was at a local college rink, and one of the moms offered to bring Mickey home for me so that I could go to church (where I also work part-time). But I DON"T KNOW WHAT SHE LOOKS LIKE! yikes. So I had to approach several tables of "HOCKEY MOMS" (who were all talking about upcoming tournaments) and ask who she was. I really felt like an outsider since Mickey is new to the program. He's only been skating for about 2 years and I swear, some of the kids have been skating since they could walk.

Although I am very sociable and quite chatty in most areas of my life; I prefer to be the quiet one at my kid's sports.

I'm not altogether sure why.

I'm definitely not shy; but I'm more sociable and confident in situations where I have some sort of "official role" and I "work the room". And no, I am not volunteering to be Team Mom or anything with sports. No way, no how.

So, how about you? A reader/purse-cleaner or one of the team moms? Where do you fit in?