"Why is it that everything about you screams hockey parent?" asked a non-hockey parent friend. "You give your daughter's age by the year she was born. You have blankets in the back of your SUV-in the summer. You're the only person I know who sets her alarm on the weekend earlier than during their work week, and you give out hand warmers to anyone who looks cold."
And her point is? Are we really that obvious to everyone else? Sure, all of my Facebook photos come from inside a hockey rink, so I put the question out there and discovered it's true-there are telltale signs that we might be hockey parents.
Well, here are a few more signs that you might be a hockey parent if...
- Fashion comes in a distant second to functionality when it comes to staying warm.
- Repairs around your house are done with hockey tape, not duct tape.
- You give out helmet stickers to reward good grades and completed chores.
- You forget about all the money you've spent this season when you see that huge smile on your hockey player's face. - Liz Mernick Burri, Warwick, R.I.
- You show up to the car dealership with the hockey bags to make sure they fit your new vehicle. - Shana Smegelsky, Oswego, N.Y.
- Every room in your house has some sort of hockey gear in it. - Nicole Graw-Metro, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
- Your kids know which hotels have a pool and free breakfast. - Tom Groat, Unadilla, N.Y.
- Someone asks how old your child is and you answer with their birth year. - Michelle Benson, Mercer, Wis.
- You show up early to be first in line waiting for your triple-triple at Tim Hortons and realize it doesn't open until 6 a.m. - Aaron Wallace, Buffalo, N.Y.
- You plan your Thanksgiving dinner and when to put up the Christmas tree around your hockey schedule. - Tina Macdonald, Geneva, N.Y.
- You are more worried how your child will look for hockey pictures than for school pictures. - Stacy Schavis Doherty, Honey Brook, Pa.
- You sleep in during the work week because you have to be up early for games on the weekends, and you've met all your friends across the country and around the world through hockey. - Christy Dougherty, Levittown, Pa.
- You refer to what rink you are going to by the best things to order at the concession stand. - Sam Schleman, Lakewood, Ohio
- You schedule your vacation around your hockey tournaments and camps. - Diana Flores, Odessa, Texas
- You plan your whole life around the team schedule, work, vacations, holidays and your meals. - Julie Kreb, North Syracuse, N.Y.
- You always have hockey tape in your glove box and in the junk drawer. - Justin Johansen, Ohio
- You've spent more time drinking with friends in hotel hallways than the local bar. - Matthew Darois, Liverpool, N.Y.
So cheers to my fellow hockey moms and dads. And here's to better times are ahead. We've got this.