What does being an involved parent mean? For Ashley Shearer, it means to be there for your kids. It means being there wether they know that they need you or not. “We only get to raise our children one time, and every time you show up counts towards their development. I make sure to talk and listen to each of them every single day and do my best to be all I can for them,” she says.
When any family sets out to head to a sporting event, the inevitable seems to always happen. It can be quite frustrating as a parent hearing that your child forgot something at home that they needed for their event; especially when you’re already one hour into a three hour trip. For Ashley, those are some of her most relatable memories as a sports mom.
Ashley got started with helping out by watching and learning as she attended all of the practices. She says “I wanted to be involved and learn more about the program, so I just asked what I could do to help and it grew from there.” One of the things that she always makes sure to bring with her is her relentlessly positive energy and attitude. It’s no small thing to keep the morale and energy up for all of the kids, coaches, and other parents.
Ashley’s biggest challenge is not being able to be in three places at once. The relatable challenge of having to balance work and home life with practices and events for multiple children and sports is a struggle that she knows well. She’s been able to help and gain help from other parents of the team; working together to make sure that everyone’s kids are able to get where they need to be.
When things get tough for Ashley, she always remains positive and reminds herself of why she’s doing what she’s doing. She does it all for her kids.
By Ariel Casida
