Is A Child's Headache The Day After A Football Game Cause For Concern? You Be The Judge

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Wed, 10/15/2014 - 15:11. | comments

"Mom, I still have a headache." If you are a mom of a teenager, you probably hear them say that every day for various reasons. Life is tough when you are 13- or 14-years-old. You study too much, or you watch too much TV, or play too many video games. You get dehydrated from sports or just stressed by peers and hormones. You get headaches. Who knows why? A headache isn't a big deal, right? So why on this Wednesday morning did my son's announcement send an icy shiver down my spine? That he plays his 8th grade football games on Tuesday nights, that's why!

When her son announces that he still had a headache after his football game the night before, a Texas mom springs into action. Did she do the right thing? You be the judge.

Gretchen Rose

A New Football Season, But The Same Old Superstitions!

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Mon, 09/29/2014 - 15:14. | comments

The first of September finally turned up on the calendar. It's a month which I look forward to every year because it comes with it the promise of a new school year, a break from the Texas heat, and yes, my friends, the beginning of football season. I know I am not alone in saying that, for football fans, the seven long months between the last play of Super Bowl Sunday in February and the beginning of September without football is like spending time on the dark side of the moon! We football moms are still working, just not at full capacity. Celebrating a touchdown

Her son finally recovered from a stress fracture of his back, a Dallas mom begins his sixth year of football with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.

Gretchen Rose

The Empire (Of Moms) Strikes Back - The Benefits Of Yoga In Recovering From A Sports-Related Back Injury (Part IV)

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Thu, 08/21/2014 - 18:26. | comments

Six months ago my son was complaining about persistent back pain. He ended up being diagnosed with two small fractures in his lower back at the L-3 vertabrae. The pain and startling realization finally set in that his spring and summer sports activities would not happen. I remember standing in a hospital hallway feeling like a riptide had swept over me. I could not breathe. I could not think. I was consumed with how and why this injury had occurred. My son was beside himself with grief and a fear of the unknown: would he be ready to go in the fall for his beloved sport of football?

In the latest chapter in her ongoing series of blogs chronicling her son's recovery from a stress fracture in his back, a Texas mom discovers that football players, from the National Football League on down - can benefit from yoga.

Gretchen Rose

The Plank And The World Cup: Recovering from A Sports-Related Back Injury (Part III)

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Sun, 07/27/2014 - 14:28. | comments

The end of June and first part of July became an exceptionally busy time at our house, juggling the final stretch of Physical Therapy for our son while trying to watch every second of the soccer World Cup coverage! Lucky for us, the Physical Therapy gym is well equipped with TV monitors, all tuned in to sports!

A Texas football mom and her son juggle his final stretch of physical therapy after a stress fracture of his back with watching the Team USA in the FIFA World Cup.

Gretchen Rose

ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex At Disney World: The Happiest Place On Earth?

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Tue, 07/22/2014 - 14:45. | comments

After my recent trip to Orlando, I now have the answer to the question that millions of parents and children ask on a daily basis.

If the Happiest Place on Earth is defined by the Magic Kingdom at Disney World with the Iconic Castle and Princesses galore, then the answer for this MomsTEAM blogger is No. For her, and thousands of youth athletes, the Happiest Place on Earth resides in another Magical Realm within the World of Mickey Mouse: the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex at Walt Disney World!

Gretchen Rose

Back in Action, If Not In The Game: A Halftime Report On A Teenager's Recovery From A Stress Fracture Of His Spine

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Tue, 06/17/2014 - 19:58. | comments

First, a thank you

In my last blog I wrote about my son's back injury and the start of physical therapy, but before I report on his progress, I want to extend a special thank you to everyone who contacted me after reading my blog post. My intuition told me that the fractured spine he suffered is an injury that has affected many other youth athletes and families. I was completely overwhelmed by the number of people who called, emailed, IM'd, commented on the blog site, or ran me down (figuratively, at least) in the grocery store to ask about my son. Thank you all so much.

After suffering a stress fracture of his lumbar spine, a 13-year-old Texas football player begins rehabbing his injury with rigorous physical therapy. His mom provides a halftime report from the sideline.

Gretchen Rose

If Your Teen Has Back Pain That Won't Go Away, See A Doctor!

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Wed, 04/30/2014 - 18:13. | comments

As we head into the last month of the school year (at least for some of us), parents start asking each other, "Hey, what is your kid doing this summer? ("Translation for non-Texans: "What sports is your child playing this summer?")

As lots of sports parents know, summer does not always mean fun and hanging out by the swimming pool anymore. In this deeply sports-obsessed state, there is no off-season. Ever! Middle school football running back breaking tackle

When her 13-year-old son came home each day from track practice complaining of back pain, a Texas mom thought the pain wasn't anything to worry about. Turns out the pain was a red flag about a serious injury.

Gretchen Rose

Last Dance: Reflections of A Dance Mom

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Fri, 03/21/2014 - 16:26. | comments

Dedicated to the Parents of the Class of 2014 who have seen their

child’s last pass, catch, pitch, serve, goal, basket, cheer, tumble, at bat, or dance.

The plane touched down in Orlando Florida. The trip that I had been looking forward to, as well as dreading for many years, was finally here. My daughter’s drill team was competing in the Contest of Champions with drill teams, state champions all, from all over the nation vying for national honors.

A mom looks back on her daughter's years of dance and as part of a drill team.

Gretchen Rose

A Homecoming To Remember

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Wed, 10/23/2013 - 19:02. | comments

homecoming dance

The doorbell rings at precisely 6:00 p.m. The handsome football captain is here to pick up the beautiful drill team lieutenant for their Senior Homecoming Dance. The flowers are exchanged, and the conversation is easy.

By now, the date is an extended member of our family. Instead of grilling him about the plans and curfew, my husband is more interested in a play-by-play recap about last night's football game. We make this look sooooo easy. A "Seventeen" magazine dream scene taking place in our formal living room.

Don't kid yourself. Nothing is ever this easy. This flawless precision takes years to come together. Don't I know it well. We tell the incredibly gorgeous couple to have a great time and shut the door.

When the doorbell rang precisely at the appointed hour announcing the arrival of her daughter's date for her senior Homecoming Dance, a Texas football and drill team mom remembers back to her first Homecoming Dance three years earlier, when everything did not go according to plan.

Gretchen Rose

Margaret Stafford Taught NFL QB Matthew To Feel Confident, Not Entitled

Submitted by Gretchen Rose on Wed, 10/02/2013 - 00:28. | comments

Role models are hidden in our everyday lives and neighborhoods. You just have to find them. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Margaret Stafford, mother of Detroit Lions quarterback, Matthew. As I journey further down the football mom tunnel, I thought it might be a good idea to pick up some tips from the best. Margaret did not disappoint. After all, she is a pro now, too! Matt Stafford

A Dallas football mom learns from her neighbor, Margaret Stafford, that the secret to the success of her son, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, both on and off the field is to be confident, but not feel entitled.