Parenting Lessons From Kim Mulkey
If you follow me on social networks, you know I attend many LSU Women’s basketball games. The 2022-2023 season found me reluctantly in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center as my sports-obsessed husband told me repeatedly that we just had to witness the history-making combination of Angel Reese and Coach Kim Mulkey on the court in person. It took just that one game, and I became hooked on so much more than the fanfare of this team.
Parenting is a delicate dance. You never want to see the world negatively affect your children, but I also do not want my kids to have an easy life that leaves them without the necessary coping skills. My daughter is one of the tallest in her class, and if you were ever a young girl, then you know how alienating that can be to hit a growth spurt before all of your friends – to be physically different during a time when everyone’s main objective is to fit in.
As my whole family sat in a row in the PMAC weekly, watching these amazing young women use their height beautifully and powerfully, I witnessed my daughter’s self-image change.
I could tell her repeatedly that she was beautiful and strong, but I am five foot, three inches tall on a good day – I’ve never had the elevated female experience she is having. So, I was happy to let Kim Mulkey and her incredible team help me in this mindset shift.
The lessons went further than that. My husband and I bonded over sports as we became more excited with each passing game that led the team to the Sweet Sixteen matchups, the Final Four games, and finally to the National Championship. My children could watch with us and discuss what it means for these women to have worked so hard for so many years toward a goal and reach it. Players would have great games where the rim seemed as wide as the court, and they absolutely could not miss. And they would have terrible games where they couldn’t keep from fouling and could not sink a shot for anything. There were beautiful lessons at each end of the spectrum because they handled the winning and the losing with grace and dignity each time, letting the losses or errors drive them harder to that championship. All of this happened in a family-friendly atmosphere where my kids could dance, cheer, and eat the type of foods you only get to enjoy in a stadium – which is just the jackpot of the food pyramid for kids.
This season finds us back in the PMAC, watching an entirely different season unfold. Witnessing how returning players have grown from last season to this is mind-blowing- these college athletes put in some work.
This time, I am even more thankful for Kim Mulkey- not for her championship-winning program, but for how she has shown up for her players.
My daughter is an Angel Reese fan. Any 6’3″ woman who goes by “Bayou Barbie” and looks like a living doll will have a fan base of little girls who consider her their hero. My daughter noticed Angel’s absence from the court early this season and was very concerned. There has been so much speculation as to why Angel did not appear with the team for several games in a row, and to be honest, I’m glad that all of this happened. It provided us, as parents, an excellent opportunity to discuss what it looks like when people struggle with something. There is nothing wrong with taking a step back – no matter how talented you are, no matter how great your career is at the moment, no matter how many endorsement deals you have- to figure out what it is that you want and what you need to do to get there. My kids were sitting right next to me as we watched the post-game conferences, where Coach Kim addressed the absence in the most mama-bear way that made my heart swell with pride. As we witnessed her protect Angel during a difficult personal time, it prompted a conversation about how no one is entitled to know everything about you all of the time and that this is what advocating and caring for a person looks like, as Coach Mulkey held that space and protected Angel’s privacy without coddling or putting her down.
