When I saw this tweet by Jonathan Torrens, it really spoke to me. His young daughter is right. Her reasons for wanting to take up hockey make complete sense. As a hockey mom of six (three of whom are girls), my experience is that many of the great things about having my girls in hockey has little to do with the actual hockey.
Although this is a generalization, it does appear that many Dads (where I live, anyway) LOVE hockey. As their hockey playing daughters hit the teen years, I find having a shared love of this sport brings them closer with their kids. At a time when fathers can feel a little unsure of how to connect with their daughters, having a common interest is helpful. Those car rides together to the rink provide a nice opportunity to chat, listen to music and talk.
This kid is on the mark about hotel fun! These are the memory making moments at hockey tournaments: Mini-sticks in hotel hallways, hotel-wide games of man-hunt and hide-and-seek, and spending so much time playing in the pool that they have no energy left on the ice. Us adults also love the tournaments – it gives us a chance to share a beverage and connect with other parents.
Another wonderful thing about having your girls play hockey is that GIRLS ARE PLAYING HOCKEY. That was a very rare sight when I was a child as there were very few hockey leagues that actually allowed girls to participate. While we have a long way to go to reach equality for women in sport, we CAN celebrate that there is a wider acceptance of girls participating in activities traditionally considered only suitable for those with an XY chromosome.
As the saying goes, “from the mouths of babes”, and this babe called it right when telling her Dad why she wanted to play hockey. A funny tweet with a few great lessons in there!
