I take a long sip of my hot tea and feel the temporary relief from the cold. I tap my knees together to get some blood flowing in my frozen body. I watch my son zip around on the ice, in his element, with a hockey stick in his hand.
And then I see a player on the other team go down hard. My son skates over, picks up the other kid’s stick, waits for him to get up, and hands it to him. My heart swells. What was just a quick second to someone else watching is a moment of motherly pride for me.
I love watching my boys play hockey, even though it can get uncomfortably cold. It’s exciting to watch them skate around, score some goals, stop some shots, and hold their own on the ice.
My son recently scored a goal in a tournament game to tie the score, and I cheered like he had just won the Super Bowl. Full disclosure: I had tears in my eyes because it was such an amazing moment, one I will never forget.
But the less dramatic moments mean the most to me—when they protect a teammate, make sure someone isn’t hurt, help an opponent who is struggling to get up, or gracefully congratulate the winning team.
These are not the skills they learn in practice, nor the qualities that earn them an award or a medal. But these moments and gestures show their true character and make me the most proud.
Don’t get me wrong. My boys are competitive, and so am I. They love to win, and you will find me jumping up and down and cheering after a goal or an exciting victory every time. They will always go toe to toe with their opponents and do what it takes to win. That is the point of the game, after all.
But they never push someone else down to make themselves look better. They use their instincts to help where help is needed, regardless of who needs it. And they know how to lose as much as they know how to win.
The kindness, sportsmanship, and genuine concern for another player, regardless of team affiliation, warmed my heart even as my body froze. This is what it’s all about.
And years from now, whether they are still skating around or not, these are the traits with which they will glide through the world. And that makes this cold mama’s heart the warmest.
