We love for our kids to participate in sports, but the sacrifice required can sometimes be a bit much. Share your tales of the lengths you go to to support your child's athletic interests. What sidelines have you prowled? What drives have you driven? How many soccer practices for 6-year-olds have you conducted. Let's hear from you soccer dad, baseball dad, football dad, gymnastics dad...

Prepping for my second consecutive and *final* weekend of long-haul travel in support of my 11-yr-old's soccer team. I love it that they are finding this success, but what a toll it takes. 10 hours round trip in the car, several hundred dollars in expenses. Missing some school. Missing key weekends for holiday prep and decoration. I love sitting on the sidelines for these tough games (more exciting and gut-wrenching than anything the 'Horns have ever put me through).

So it's off to lovely Beaumont, Texas -- have folding chair and sunscreen this week. Will travel.

How was the drive home?

The drive home was quick and easy -- just me. Using Google maps and my Garmin I timed the trip back to the minute -- I had to. Turns out my tickets for the Nutcracker with my daughter (a major tradition) were at 2pm. I had to leave my son's soccer game in Beaumont at exactly 9. So I left him to the care of his grandparents and backed slowly away from the sidelines with the game still in progress. I made it in time to pick up the girl and head to the ballet. It was a great time. I'll try to update the blog with more details later.

So far, I've coached 2 soccer teams, and 2 baseball teams for a boy that's approaching 6.

Have to confess that I love it. I have no complaints. Spending the time with the boy is fabulous. But in addition to that, getting to teach the kids about having fun, being good sports, making new friends, getting exercise and eventually getting around to learning some skills relative to the sport of the season has been very rewarding.

We've been very lucky that we've found a rec league in our area that's non-competitive and so far all of the parents that we've come in contact with share our philosophy/priorities in terms of what we're teaching the kids.

Looking forward to another baseball season this Spring.

My daughter has taken a real shine to basketball, and she's a fierce little competitor. To encourage her (and let's be honest, to amuse myself) I picked up a package of cheap tickets to see a half a dozen UT men's basketball games. The seats are definitely nosebleed, but I thought that would hardly matter. The whole point was going to the game with the kids.

Overall B-ball games are tons easier to attend with kids than football games. Smaller crowds, easier parking, less of a time commitment.

I told my folks that I was taking Ri-ri to UT v CO right after her game, and suggested they pick up tickets and come along. They got tickets all right: from one of the coaches! So for her first b-ball spectating experience, my daughter sat courtside. Awesome, but now how is she going to feel about my nosebleeds?

I'm also thinking I need to get her to a women's game as well. I can probably get good seats for those games.

Hook 'em and here's to girls playing sports.

Man. Last night I got one of the biggest parenting guilt trips yet. I left work early, made a quick pitstop at home to say "hi" to wife and younger two kids, then back in the car for a cross-town trip to watch Bubba play b-ball.

Traffic. Screaming curses at it didn't work. Lane switching didn't work. Checking GPS for alternate routes didn't work.

I was 15 minutes late for a 5:45 tip. Which wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't started at 5:30. Which wouldn't have been so bad if the coach hadn't had car trouble and also missed the first part of the game.

When the game was over (they lost big), Bubba was visibly upset. And he let me know why. He sited the exact reading on the game clock in the third quarter when I hobbled through the door (still sore).

That I wasn't there at the time when the team was without a coach put an ice pick of guilt in my chest. Ach!

It also made me appreciate that he really notices when I'm there and depends on that. I guess I could go in the other direction, and let him have a few games without me there to teach him to be more independent. Not sure about that one. My inclination is to be more careful to get to games on time. To be more thoughtful about that.

I guess there are limits. My wife gave me concert tickets for Christmas for tonight (Shawn Colvin), and the major annual fundraiser for the school where we live, my wife works, and my son is a student is Saturday night, so this weekend my dad is taking Bubba to a soccer tourney in Houston.

Bud knows the drill because he's been to a couple of these us in the past, but I have to say I'm still a little nervous.

He snores.

Which means Bubba will have to have a room to himself, and he's never done that before.

Growthful, but it still makes me nervous.

If they win on Saturday, I may run down for the Sunday games (finals).

The start of school also means the start of sports and the accompanying logistical madness in my house. 3 kids in club soccer = 6 practices a week. Plus Riley is playing volleyball, so add another to that total. 3 soccer and 1 volleyball game every weekend.

11 family extra-curricular commitments a week. Watch and learn a lesson from my missteps!

Madness. But they do love the sports, these kids.

I spent last weekend in Houston, cooking in 108 degree temps on the sideline (oh, right, the kids had to play soccer in those temps).

I honestly would mind it all less if we could do something about this heat!

Truth told, I'd rather watch them play than anything on TV.

Wow! A sincere good luck with that. Fair warning though, if we hear any lamenting about the lack of family dinner/quality time, I'm going to link you back to this thread.

This Fall will be our first season with both kids in outside activities, so it's new territory for us. I'll be watching this thread closely for updates from you on how it goes. For us, the 7yo in Karate and the 2 yo in Parent/Toddler dance.

Just because of the schedule you cited, we've instituted a house-wide rule. Every occupant is permitted one outside the home activity per season. Daddy has Crossfit. Mama has her Karate. The boy chose karate over soccer. I'm good with that because that's his mother's gig so she's largely responsible for the logistics.

The intent in our home is that each kid may pick one activity each season to avoid the over scheduling. We'll see how it goes.

The 2yo has decided that I'm the parent of choice for Saturday am Parent/Toddler dance class. The day my wife enrolled her, Lil Bit told Mama, "Daddy will take me and we will go in MUSTANG!" Not sure what she has planned, but she's got it all worked out. I'm pretty cool with that too.

Having a Daddy/daughter date once a week with dancing and a special breakfast out should be fun. It's our first chance for an organized recurring outing together.

Frustrated! So many games!

I finally was given my oldest son's Spring club soccer schedule, and it/s a disaster.

All three of my kids play soccer in the spring. We want my oldest to play more than one sport at this point (8th grade) and he loves lacrosse. He plays for his school team in the Spring.

So that means 4 team sports commitments. Which we didn't think would be a prob because lax plays games during the week, soccer on Saturdays. No. Now both have scheduled a majority of games on Sundays. Ack.

Plus dad likes to run in the occasional race on the weekends.

And now our calendar is a total mess, cross hatched with conflicts. Starting this weekend.

Good bye Spring Break, hello stress.

For the last 20 years I have held season tickets for University of Texas Longhorn football. Not anymore. I let them go. In the fall we will have two kids playing select club soccer. Another playing rec soccer. My oldest will probably add club lacrosse, and my daughter will be playing field hockey for school. I will be training for the Baltimore Marathon in October.

I'm sad to see them go. It's been such a tradition for us here in Austin. First I went with my wife. Then when we had babies, I would tap a buddy to go with me. Then the kids started. But by last season, we barely made it to half the games. It has gotten easier to sell unused tickets online, but I still ending up eating a pair or two.

The bottom line is I'd rather watch my kids play.

Now I'll console myself by thinking what I could use all the money I pour into the tickets for.

Also giving up my Memorial Day weekend to take my oldest to a soccer tourney in Houston. Wheee!

I think you answered your own question about where the money not spent on U of T tix will go. It'll go to travel expenses watching your kids play. Still, it's money well spent, so enjoy.