It begins

So.

My name is Mandy and I have a rising freshmen cheerleader (Hello, Mandy). I have been and done many things over the course of my career as a mother of two girls. Room mom, choir mom, PTA board member, fundraising chair, chauffeur extraordinaire. I have volunteered for field trips, copy room duty, and snacks. You name it, I have likely given it a try. I have done these things while being a single-mom, a full-time student, and a full-time employee (some all at the same time). But nothing has compared to the world I am at the threshold of entering by parenting a high school cheerleader.

Perhaps I should have started this blog a week ago when tryouts began. But that might have been counting my chickens, eh? I spent last week in a constant fever pitch driving my child from one school to another. Buying cheer-specific clothing. Panicking that I will be one minute late in dropping off and disqualify her before tryouts even started. I worried and worried that I would need to console a thirteen year-old girl on Thursday evening if her number wasn't posted on the list. But with lots of prayers, lots of extra time at the gym with her coach (thanks grandma!), and lots of hard work on her part, here we are. Her number did make the list and we are getting ready to start this new phase of life. I guess you could say that was last week in a nutshell.

And with that, I invite you on my new journey through not only her first year as a high schooler, which is scary enough, but with the added bonus that will come with my daughter in that sacred tradition of inciting the football crowd to a frenzy while wearing a short skirt. Of high-stakes and high-cost competition. Of bows and practices and practices. And practices.

Does that sound cynical? That might be because I have the cynicism gene embedded in my DNA. It could be that I don't have an ounce of girly in me and am scared to death of what being a Cheer Mom entails. And I am just beginning to learn that "Cheer Mom" IS a proper noun. But I couldn't be happier for or prouder of her. She worked her tail off to get here and I know that it will give her first year of high school a whole new outlook.

Current Mood: excited and tired. Waiting for the infamous "first financial meeting" in mid-April.