I miss the little daily things about being an age-group swim mom. Maybe not the grocery bills, the endless loads of towels or the early morning drives. Nor spending entire weekends on my feet working at meets.

But here are six things I miss most about being a swim mom:

ONE

I miss the kids on the team. I miss watching them grow up into amazing adults. So many personalities, so many different families, all bound together by one common goal. Swimming.

TWO

Good times sitting together with other swim parents in the stands cheering for all our kids. Wearing the new team t-shirts, sipping Starbucks on a chilly winter morning under pop-up tents. Chatting and laughing while we waited to see what the day’s meet would bring.

THREE

I loved working with our parents and officials under the admin tent, in awards, or in the snack bar at our home meets. Good thing is the team still welcomes my help — when I want to.

FOUR

I loved having my kids teammates over to the house to hang out between morning and afternoon practices during long hot summer days. I loved cooking eggs, bacon and sausage in bulk for a pack of hungry swimmers. I was amazed at how much they could eat as a group. One Friday night after practice I made spaghetti and heated up 16 loaves of garlic bread — for the senior group which was less than 20 swimmers.

FIVE

I loved watching my kids gain confidence from competing and accomplishing goals. Best times were, well the best.

SIX

Most of all, l loved seeing my kids smiling, laughing and enjoying their friendships. Throughout the years, my kids were surrounded by amazing kids, families and coaches. Just being in the background was a joy.

I miss those days.

Read the original article here