My oldest daughter, Emma, didn’t come by the acting bug by accident.  Oh, no!  She inherited that vital gene directly from her momma.  And, believe me, it’s a STRONG one.  In my LBT (Life Before Tennis), I owned a fitness business and spent many, many hours promoting it as an “expert” on the radio, the Web, tv, and in front of live audiences.  I never passed up an opportunity to be on camera (or on mic), even when it meant schlepping my infant son across the country on an 8-city promo tour with an athletic shoe company.

So, last week, when I was given a lead for a new reality television show about Tennis Moms (a la Dance Moms), I jumped on it.  I called the producer and spoke with her at length about my experiences in the Junior Tennis World as well as with the media, thinking I would be the perfect candidate for her.  The thought of being on tv again excited me.  I was already trying to figure out how I would squeeze in more workout sessions before the show taped so I would be at my fittest and strongest on camera and how in the world I was going to afford new clothes.

And then my son came home.

And I told him about the tv show.

And he begged me not to pursue it.

And this is one more tiny little sacrifice I will make for one of my kids.  Because that’s what we parents do – we sometimes put aside our own wants (and even needs) for our kids.  In this case, it was an easy decision.  My son has worked too long and too hard for me to risk jeopardizing his efforts because of my own narcissistic tendencies.  He’s right – by being part of a show that will magnify the already-huge personalities of some extreme tennis parents, I would be putting him in an awkward (at best!) position with his tennis peers, their parents, and the governing body.

I honored my son’s wishes and stepped away from the tv project.  I figure that just frees me up when the Tennis Channel comes calling!

(Written by East Cobb resident and tennis mom, Lisa Stone and reprinted from her blog, http://parentingaces.wordpress.com. A mother of three, Stone is a certified fitness instructor and avid tennis player.)

A blog for tennis parents has been created by East Cobb resident and tennis mom, Lisa Stone, who is hoping to share her experiences in the grueling world of Junior Tennis. The website is http://parentingaces.wordpress.com. The mother of three is a certified fitness instructor and avid tennis player. Through her children, she has developed a working knowledge of theatre, horses and drums. Her own junior tennis experience and now that of her son’s led her to create ParentingAces.

“I’m enlisting the help and expertise of several tennis professionals including former NCAA champions, professional coaches (from both the ATP and WTA tours as well as top-level junior coaches), former professional players, and junior tennis tournament directors so that we parents can better navigate through the murky waters,” says Lisa.

Articles posted include Choosing A Coach (a 3-parter), the USTA tournament and ranking system, Developing a Tennis Player and Stoking the Fire.

“In the future, I plan to include articles about crazy tennis parents, the ideal tennis parent (from the coach’s point of view), and how to decipher the college recruiting process, among others,” shares Lisa.

(Reprinted from the April issue of EAST COBBER.)