Mother's Day

As the captain of the U.S. Women’s National Team and the mother of two girls, Mother’s Days can be bittersweet. Some years, like this year when I’m in California training for the upcoming World Cup, I can’t be with my family. I talk to a lot of moms about the balance of work and motherhood. It’s a struggle to find the right balance. I’ve missed the first day of kindergarten and I’ve missed birthdays, but you find a way to make it all work. My kids have been fortunate to travel with the national team, but I can’t always take them. We book our own travel and there’s no team nanny. Recently, my daughter Rylie had a father-daughter dance and I had to be in Miami for work. I hated to miss it, but I tried to make the most of the days before the dance. We made a special plan to go dress shopping and go to the salon. Moms’ lives are so crazy that we can only control so much. I’m trying to remember not to sweat the small stuff. Between getting my girls ready for school and sneaking off for a training session, I try to make the most of when I’m around. Mother’s Day is about moms, but as moms know, everything is about your kids. I’m trying to be more present when I’m around. There’s no time like uninterrupted time with your family.

(Photographs by Samantha Appleton/The Players’ Tribune)

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