Am I completely overreacting, or am I completely justified in how nervous I am about my son playing hockey for the first time EVER starting this weekend?

I grew up in the south, so hockey is a completely foreign game to me. I don't understand it at all...the rules, the concepts, anything! Baseball, soccer, football, I'm great and I don't worry at all, but now I am a total mess. DS8 just started skating at the beginning of the summer for the first time in his life. Now, mind you, he is EXTREMELY athletic and picked it up in about 20 minutes (seriously, he was skating backwards by the end of the first lesson). However, he is going to be playing with boys his own age, height and weight, which while good for his morale, may not be so good for me. What if not knowing the rules or how the game works, he gets broken somehow?

Ughhh, so I'm completely overreacting right??

Caitlin,

First off, I think you need a hug It will be okay because at this level, they do not check (push/run each other into the boards/wall). Can hockey be dangerous? Yes, but so can football. They have a lot of padding. If I can give you some advice, buy the best protective gear you can, buy good skates and keep them sharp, and enjoy the sport. If you know things about soccer, the rules are kinda similar. If you have any questions, you can PM me I have been a "hockey mom" for many years.

How cool! DH can't wait until the boys are old enough for hockey! Jackson can say "goal" and raises his arms when he does. I swear DH has never been so proud! LOL

Since that wasn't at all helpful....

Yes it's normal to be nervous! That's your baby out there! But try and relax, if you're stressed he'll pick up on it and get nervous! Like treasurehouse said, buy good gear, keep blades sharp and CHEER THAT BOY ON! Have fun!!

I am another Southern girl with a hockey playing DS. My DS is 11 and is in his first season of hockey. Is your son in a league where they can check? Mine is in the 11-13 league and that is the first age group where they are allowed to check. My son is small for his age (a whole 70lbs) so you can imagine my anxiety at first.

I was scared at first but he did a learn to play class that was 6-8 sessions, then he was on the ice playing. There are some big boys in his league - I am talking man size. His coach has taught our boys a very aggressive game as they are the youngest, smallest sized team in the league (of 3 whole teams). My son will check a boy who is 5' 8" and 170 lbs without thinking about it - of course he bounces right off. With all of the pads they wear they are pretty well protected.

I think hockey has been wonderful DS. He is not as whiney as he used to be. He has learned to work with what he has on the ice, i.e. he is more agile than some of these big boys who have hit the growth spurt and not gotten used to the new size. It is wonderful exercise for him - he skates every chance he gets to go to the rink, he has roller blades and a street hockey street for home.

I won't lie - I have seen two broken arms this season. The first boy came to the bench, told my DH who was helping the coach that he just broke his arm. No crying or anything. Stayed on the bench until the end of the game. The other was watching the travel hockey team. I have friend whose kids have broken bones in all sports so I am not alarmed.

Like Jibbers, I have seen some scary things, but that could be in any sport. They can get hurt riding their bike. Life doesn't come with guarantees. Another piece of advice, some leagues don't require neck guards. PLEASE get him a really good neck guard and make him wear it even if the other boys don't have one.

The national league won't let the little guys check until they are PeeWees. Your son is too young to check. Also, the coaches "teach" the boys how to check and how to take a check for the lowest possible injury.

I hope this and the other posters advice is helpful to you.

This has all been very helpful. Reading about the broken arms kinda freaked me out though. I mean, I know it can happen, and can happen in any sport that he plays...however for some reason I personally feel like I am in more control when he plays sports that I understand and I have been teaching him from day 1 (we are a HUGE baseball family...he has been playing since he started to walk). So yeah, it's my paranoia setting in...basically of the unknown. Luckily he is too excited about playing (he has been for over a year to play) to notice how much is bothers me, or I'm just really good at hiding it! Either way, he's 8 so he pays as little attention to me as he can!

I had no idea about the neck braces. Looks like I'll be going back to the sporting goods store yet again today! I had to go get him some breezers earlier today because I didn't know that he needed them!!

Thanks again for all of your advice everyone...I really appreciate it!

Caitlin, With the breezers, don't forget to get a strong, protective cup so you can be a grandmother someday. I learned the hard way you will want to make sure the plastic piece comes out so you can wash the strap thing.

Yes, some leagues require neck guards and some leagues don't. I don't want to "freak you out" but trust me on this one, you want him to have one. Better safe than sorry......