Ten Heartwarming Things I Learned From Volunteering at the High School Concessions Stand

So I’ve been working the concession stand at our large high school varsity football games the past few weeks. Let me tell you, that is a whole new level of crazy right there.

But if I’m going, to be honest, I also get a kick out of it.

You get to see all the kids in their element and hear parents cheering for their players and marching band members and cheerleaders and dance team and color guard and all of the other kids who participate in Friday Night Lights. You get to hang out with great volunteers and help serve your school and community. You get to do some pretty awesome people-watching.

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I grew up going to a big football high school, but my family has no connection to the sport where we live now. My kids go to the games, but they do other activities.

And guess what? I’ll complain about how it is fast-paced and exhausting and loud and overwhelming–but I love it.

Here are just a few of my thoughts:

1. I’m pretty sure I sold $20 million worth of food and drinks from my window alone.

2. We really really, really, really need to respect waitstaff and retail workers more because sometimes I forgot what Gatorade color the kid wanted from when he told me and I turned around to get it out of the refrigerator. Remembering stuff is hard. Service with a smile is harder.

3. 98 percent of people are incredibly nice. Don’t let those two percent ruin it for you.

4. When you are on your feet for three hours and you are old you will feel like a Mack truck hit you the next day. Maybe into the day after that too.

5. Hell hath no fury like a five-year-old girl whose dad won’t get her Skittles.

6. The people who run these types of endeavors are freaking saints and deserve all our gratitude. They run around town trying to procure items that are in short supply right now. They give up entire days to serve, sometimes missing their own kid’s big plays or performance. They listen to complaints about how we ran out of water or burgers or Starburst without snottily reminding said complainers that they are just a volunteer, not the CEO of Concessions Inc. I think they should be knighted.

7. Your kids are helping each other. They are buying waters for their friends, sharing chips, loaning them a dollar, paying a balance when someone is short fifty cents on their debit card. People say crappy things about the way we are raising teens, but their hearts come through when their friends are hungry. It’s the sweetest.

8. Nothing tugs at my heart more than when a young boy who towers over you that you haven’t seen since like 3rd grade shouts “Thank you Camryn’s mom,” when you hand him three cheeseburgers. All the feels on how fast time flies.

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9. I will never not be amazed by the fact that you can pay for a hot dog by tapping your phone on a little black box. Technology is wild.

10. Your kids are eating a lot of candy. That’s where all their money goes. The end.

A dear friend of mine suggested we write a book entitled, “Reese’s & Ramen: Confessions from the Concessions.”

It could happen. I’m headed back tonight.

Parenting Teens and Tweens is hard work, but we’ve got more help, encouragement and support for you:

Why Are Family Is Okay With Our Crazy Sports Schedule

Why Self-Care Is One of the Most Important Lessons We Can Teach Our Kids

Comforting and Stress-Reducing Gifts for Anxious Teens

When you are in the thick of raising teens and tweens, we recommend Loving Hard When They’re Hard to Love by Whitney Fleming. In Loving Hard When They’re Hard to Love, blogger Whitney Fleming shares her favorite essays about raising three teenagers in today’s chaotic world. Written from the perspective of a fellow parent, each story will leave you with tears in your eyes and hope in your heart because someone else is saying exactly what’s been going through your mind.