All-Star I Just Wish He'd Put On The Cheer Dad Shirt Already...

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I can relate... My husband only wants to watch my daughter and thats it. He has zero appreciation for the sport.
He will sit in front of the TV all weekend to watch college and then pro football. It is his passion. He has all the apps on his phone so if there is an emergency and he has to leave the house he will have the play by play.
I just cant understand how he has no intrest in a sport his daughter does.
 
Sometimes you get what you wish for. CP is entering her fifth all star season. DH was very hands off the first two seasons, local only, immediately leave after performance. Her third season he gave me a super hard time over switching gyms for a 9 year old. It was not pretty. He pretty much wanted me to fail in my endeavor of getting her to practice at 5 pm when I also worked and said he was not helping to get her there. But he started to see the difference more and more at comps, we don't practice any days but our regularly scheduled practice days, and dads of the team are at comps, too. They all started to get to know each other. This year almost full attendance and missed one travel comp. He lodged a complaint when I was ready to leave the banquet the other night. He wasn't ready yet. I think the wife of the other dad wasn't real thrilled that her husband and mine were going on and on and both dads missed the actual awards being presented to CPs . My DH is generally not a talker and generally not a joiner. He's joining. I went to parent meeting Monday night and he acted kind of like he should have been included. What?! Asking me what the requirements are of the levels now that he has a clue. He complained every single time I took her to a private, but he is truly seeing how much all these kids care and how much work it is taking and he bought himself three gym logo shirts at the Proshop at the showoff before Dallas and he's all in now. I think he would even take her to get a spray tan now and that first one we had a big fight about, too. ;)
 
I don't have a child who cheers. However, my husband married me. So I have a Cheer Husband.

I have coached school and all star for the majority of our marriage and cheered in college when we were dating. So he sort of knew this was coming. His only major "putting my foot down" thing was my break from cheer last season to adopt our foster son. He felt we needed a year with ZERO cheer and minimal after-work activity to really bond. He has had his occasional annoyances with "Hey sorry i'm just getting home, school practice ran over!" but generally has always done really well.

It warms my heart to read about the things your dads have done for you. In the years we've been married, he has gone above and beyond for me/my squads to the point that:

*He has done my Y2 kids hair at comps when they show up and their parents haven't done it and has corrected bad make up as well if I give verbal directions.
*He and my son repeatedly make run-throughs for football or buy treats for my HS kids, just because.
*He has learned enough about cheer to be able to give me constructive feedback on team video. I didn't even notice that until once we were watching school cheer video and he was like "WTF is up with your girls not pointing toes in the stunt?" WHAT.
 
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One time I was at a competition and a cheer dad was rattling off all sorts of cheer info. He seemed really knowledgeable about it and I commented that he was really into cheer. He said "No, I don't like it much...bit I'm really into my daughter." Almost brought tears to my eyes. :).

Oh my gosh, that made me tear up!!! At least I'm not alone....and there's hope that he will come around a little more. This morning she got all sassy and made a face at me and he said, "That was some fierce facial flair right there" Made me chuckle a little. Thanks for all your responses, I appreciate it!
 
Oh that's the other thing. When dh does get involved in cp's cheer he turns into Susie's Dad. He will call cp over to correct her because you know "I cheered in high school so I know something!" That's when I say "okay Herkie Herkimer" and move on. :eye roll:


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My husband ranks up there with being completely uninterested in the actual competitions. He says they are too loud, too long and too boring. He usually only goes to one comp a year. However, he doesn't complain about the cost or the time dedicated to it because he sees what the benefits are with our 2 CPs. They have both made their high school cheer squads, which are extremely competitive, and my oldest CP made Varsity captain this year. He is very thankful that they both are involved in a school sport, especially since our high school has some of the best athletic teams in the state. He may not wear an all-star shirt and may not know the difference between a cheer scorpion and a needle, but he does appreciate what cheer has done for our girls, which is immeasurable and only other cheer parents can really understand.
 
Mine is the exact opposite. He wasn't enthused about our first season, mostly because of the cost, but he quickly got involved. He comes to most practices, classes and privates, and has only missed one comp in 8 seasons (due to an event for our son) that was just day 1 of a 2 day at that. There are times I would love to just hang out with the other moms without him, but I do appreciate that he is just as interested in our daughter's activities as he was our son's. He loves it...though he still grumbles about the cost.
 
My dad isn't into cheer at all, but he comes to the local comps and takes action shots of my team. At the last competition he was going through the photos he took and he got to one of me smiling while basing and he said, "I love how much you love it." I've tried every sport there is, he probably liked them all better then cheer, but he's been the most supportive dad in everything I've tried, and I love him for it.
 
My dad isn't into cheer at all, but he comes to the local comps and takes action shots of my team. At the last competition he was going through the photos he took and he got to one of me smiling while basing and he said, "I love how much you love it." I've tried every sport there is, he probably liked them all better then cheer, but he's been the most supportive dad in everything I've tried, and I love him for it.

If your dad is the guy who I follow on instagram with a middle eastern user name (hee hee), he takes AMAZING pictures. ;)
 
My husband was the ultimate cheer dad. CP started this at 5 yo. He was the dad who window chalked the car for every comp, wore the gym colors, was the loudest parent in VIP getting everyone else riled up for our teams. Also that dad who participated at jam-fest cheer dad dance contest and has won quite a few.

Fast forward to about 4 years ago, he went from being that dad to the dad who only comes to local and 1 away comp. Now its why can she do something different (basketball) CP has no interest in basketball at all. He would be that dad coaching her from stands if she did and she knows this.

He see's 1 video of Angel Rice tumble pass and then he becomes the supporting cheer dad again and I'm like dude our daughter will never be an Angel Rice. Be happy and enjoy the time CP has left in AS as it will end sooner than you think. Then she will be off to college.
 
This used to me my dad and I. He didn't want me to try out for cheer, I tried out anyways and it took about two years, but now he's my biggest supporter. I think part of it is that your husband doesn't really understand what cheer is, or at least what its become and is becoming. Try educating him and showing him all the amazing things that can be accomplished and the scholarships available for college cheerleaders. (We also made a book for him that named all the different skills, which he reluctantly read. I think it helped though, 'cause now watching comps he'll comment on arabesques and layouts, where before it was just 2:30 seconds of quick movement.) I went from competing on elite Softball and Soccer teams, something he had been in throughout his life, to a sport that was completely on the other side of the spectrum. And while it really hurt that he didn't want me in it for the longest time, the payoff now is great. If I go to the gym he's the one who stays up late waiting for me to get home and show him what new skills I go, he's the one whom comes to competitions and says, "That's my daughter!"

It'll take time, but hopefully he eventually puts on that 'cheer dad' shirt, and the cheer shoes and the cheer dad hat. ;)
 
Mine is the exact opposite. He wasn't enthused about our first season, mostly because of the cost, but he quickly got involved. He comes to most practices, classes and privates, and has only missed one comp in 8 seasons (due to an event for our son) that was just day 1 of a 2 day at that. There are times I would love to just hang out with the other moms without him, but I do appreciate that he is just as interested in our daughter's activities as he was our son's. He loves it...though he still grumbles about the cost.
mine doesn't grumble about the price because he has no clue!! My CP use to be a figure skater and if he asks me anything about how much cheer is costing, I simply smile and say its cheaper than skating and he shuts right up!!
 
Dh typically comes to one competition a season and prefers when it is a local one. He will usually come about 15 minutes before cp goes on and leaves right after he can find cp and give her a big hug. He is in awe of what she and her teammates can do, but has no interest in what other people's kids are doing. He has covered me more than once on an out-of-town 2-day comp when I had family obligations that one of us had to attend (and being that it was my side of the family, it was me!) but we have never attended one together, and truthfully I'm happy keeping it that way. Like others have said, I enjoy spending time with cp, watching other teams, and only dealing with the responsibilities of one kid for the weekend. Plus no laundry or cooking!
 
I didn't cheer as a child but danced. My stepdad always complained about how much it cost, on top of my classes at home I had to fly to London once a month for class as well. Plus my mum was awful at making costumes and I have a talent for picking the most expensive thing when asked what I want :)
However he gave my sister an I lifts to the studio every time we were to lazy to walk the 20 mins it took us, or we're running late. He also drove me to competitions when mum was working, even brought my friends who were competing as well. He generally say in the car as he was bored in the competition but I knew where he was if I needed anything and I also knew when I stepped out on that stage he would be standing at the back of the auditorium every time.
This weekend my sister and I are going to the wedding of one of my best friends from dancing. I was at my parents last night for dinner and he said that someone in work had asked where we had danced because his daughter wanted to start, he told them the name of our old studio and told them he couldn't recommend it enough cos 13 years after I left they were still my closest friends and that when I was seriously ill last year my old teacher called in so many times to see if I needed anything. I was so proud of him.


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