“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
When your kids are little, the days can seem so long. You are absolutely exhausted, and sometimes all you want is just a little appreciation. I’ve been there, and I see you! This is our 24th season of Mississippi high school football, and my kids are now 20, 16, and 13. Things are so much easier now! But I remember the lonely nights of feeling like I was a single mom. Thankfully I wasn’t.
Coach was there, just not always at home, and he actually had more kids to take care of than our three. But, some days, that didn’t make me feel better. In fact, some days were hard, really hard. However, I clung to the fact that his job was a calling from God, and one of my callings was to be his helper. I hung in there, and I know this sounds crazy, but now I miss it- countless Friday nights, getting home late with three sweaty, dirty kids. Most of the time, having to carry their sleepy little bodies inside, one at a time…all by myself. I can remember climbing in bed, exhausted but at the same time counting down the next days to another fun Friday Night of my kids getting to be “the coach’s kids.”
As much as I’ve loved being the coach’s wife and watching my husband mold and shape the lives of young men, now I can say that I’ve loved my kids being “coach’s kids” even more. They loved the attention they got from all the players and cheerleaders. It was like one large extended family!
As the years have gone by, I realize the lessons that I learned as a young coach’s wife are the same lessons that my children have also learned from being coach’s kids. They have learned to be independent, dependable, and flexible. They have learned to give us, as their parents, themselves, and others grace.
Most importantly, they have learned what dedication looks like. I pray that they will carry that throughout their young adult lives- dedication to God, dedication to their families, and dedication to their careers.
Things are so much easier now. I look back, and I wouldn’t change a thing- my boys being ball boys, my baby girl giving her daddy a pregame good luck kiss, watching countless hours of film, taking the kids to the field to “help daddy paint.” I tried my best to make coaching our whole family’s life!
So in the days of diapers, pacifiers, and chasing after toddlers, don’t lose heart! One day you might look up and see your son in pads on his Dad’s sideline or your daughter in a cheer suit with her pom poms cheering her Dad’s team on- there is absolutely nothing like it! Remember, when you get weary, and you will, YOU are the glue! Enjoy it during the hard seasons of little hands to hold.
They don’t stay little forever!
Kappi Rushing is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner in South Mississippi. She and her husband Ron are in their 24th season. Their oldest played for her husband and is now in college. Their middle child is a sophomore on his Dad’s team and their baby girl is a junior high cheerleader. Football is their whole life!