My Hockey Mom Prayer

Fall has not quite officially started but hockey season for The Boy already has. Opening game of the season is tonight and as I prepare for the onslaught of games, practices, tournaments, traffic, bad coffee, stressed parents, dinner in the van and other crazy that is the hockey parent/child life, I wrote a little prayer to get me (and any other hockey mom's and dad's!) through the next eight months.

My Hockey Mom Prayer

May I find the best route to the hockey arena in rush hour traffic. May there not be any road closures, beginner drivers or other stressed out hockey parents in my path.

May The Boy have remembered all his equipment. May I hold my incredulous yell of frustration back when we're running late and he tells me that he MIGHT have left his hockey gloves on the floor back home.

May I find the grace not to scream at an opposing player who has just elbowed my son in the head.

May I find a spot in the arena that is actually under a working heater.

May I not get sick of Tim Horton's coffee, bagels, sandwiches and Timbits in the next eight months.

May I try, for once, to just enjoy the game and not get stressed out and embarrass my son by screaming in the third period "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! SKATE!!!!!!!"

May I have the right words to comfort and encourage him when he has a bad game and the exuberance to celebrate with him when he has a good one.

May I remember that he loves this freezing, time-consuming, money-sucking sport and that he is a thing of beauty when he skates.

And, most of all, may I remember that his childhood is passing all too quickly and that, one day, I will actually miss the all the time we spent in the van hustling back and forth between arenas. One day I will wish for that time back so let me hold it in my memory as long as I can because it is flying away from me, faster than my son on hockey skates.