I never considered how my identity would change as a mother.  Before having children, I was a dietitian, a vegetarian, a democrat.  I was someone who liked yoga and going for walks with my dogs.  I still have those identities but now I’m the mother of an adult son and an almost adult daughter who have shared their love of sports with me.  They have turned me into a sports mom.  I have watched them succeed and struggle in sports for two decades.  Nathan and I have had so many conversations about baseball, ice skating, and running.  I have to wonder what we are going to talk about next year.

This is Lily’s senior year, and she is preparing for her last holiday performances.  Soon she will compete in her last competitions and perform at her final spring show.  I know that I will miss it, and I’m just going to have to figure out what to do with my time.   Maybe Nathan and I need to take dancing lessons or something.  I am such a different person than that young woman who was not yet a mother.  I now actually enjoy watching baseball games and figure skating competitions.  26 year old Jeni would be shocked.