What I Didn't Expect

This LinkedIn article is dedicated to Sue- one of the Gold Star Gamer moms from our first tournament.

Last week Gold Star Gamers took 12 boys that lost their Dads from the military and flew them to Colorado for a weekend of fun and gaming competitions. The weekend centered around the WarriorGMR Rocket League Cup. All the military branches sent their esport teams to battle it out. Military Pros also coached our kids (ages 8-15) in their own competition. The kids wore flight suites and played in either Navy, Army, Marines, or AF teams in honor of their fathers.

It was a fun weekend, that was meaningful to all of us. Most the boys cried as their cars took off to the airport. What I didn't expect was potentially one of the most meaningful outcomes from the weekend.

Sue came up to me and told me the weekend not only 'fixed' the relationship between her boys, but strengthened her relationship with her youngest that competed. She had spent the weekend learning about his favorite activity, cheering him on, and being his biggest fan. The shift in mom-teen dynamics brought them both to tears.

One of our team volunteers had a similar break through. She learned her son was a champion level player in the game and had hid it from her out of fear she would not approve of his gaming. When she told me how his confession and her new awareness and support shifted their relationship she broke down in tears.

The picture you see in this article is of my own teen son. He is too 'strong' to ever cry over the recently loss of his father, instead his emotions come out as anger. But, over the weekend I stepped away from being his 'mom' and became his cheerleader instead. It opened him up to me in a way I have been praying for.

I didn't expect our tournaments to help mom-teen son relationships, but the whole experience did something for us. It put moms in a place where we saw our sons at their best. Working hard. Competing. Cheering on their teammates and being gracious to their competitors. It created an understand between us. We felt their joy. We took a moment in their shoes. I am so grateful for this experience. Thank you to all that have supported us so far.