The End of Youth Sports 2.0 and Ambiguous Loss

It's the home stretch for my years as a "Football Mom," and I am feeling the feels. When your kids are involved in an activity that becomes consuming of your time, energy, and money, and when we find ourselves on the sideline or in the stands or seats watching day after day, week after week, year after year, there comes a point when it all ends. For many, senior year is that end. But for some, it happens sooner, whether they don’t make the team or grow out of love with the sport or activity and just decide they are done – but wait! You might say – but what if I’m not done? 

It’s the end of a chapter. There is a loss – a sense of grief – it’s the loss of an activity – of a group of people you’ve grown to feel a community with – the loss of something that you share with your child. It's ok to feel sad. It’s ok for us to look back and reflect. It just won’t be the same. And it’s ok to mourn that end – mourn the loss.  We may feel an ambiguous loss. At its core, ambiguous loss is about a lack of resolution. The loss of what could have or should have been. The loss of someone or something as it was. 

But we aren’t the only ones who will feel the end because obviously, the kids will feel it even more than we do. So what comes next - what can we expect from our teen athletes post sports, and how you can help them find their identities.