By Donna Olmstead

You know you’re a soccer player’s parent when ...

You keep Icy Hot, Ace bandages and cold packs in the trunk of your car.

Your calendar revolves around P & G (practices and games)

You spend more on cleats than you do on your own shoes.

Your drawers are full of tournament T's.

You know what ICL and ACL stand for.

You can carry a canopy on your back and a lawn chair in each hand.

Your cooler has wheels.

There’s more Gatorade than beer in your refrigerator.

You can’t see an orange without wanting to cut it in quarters.

There’s a soccer ball hanging from your rearview mirror.

You actually know what “offside” means.

You dread the day when your soccer player grows up and leaves you with empty weekends.

(Florida resident Donna Olmstead has been involved in soccer through both her children and her grandchildren, as well as housing professional players and owning and running an indoor soccer facility.She is a freelance writer and spends weekends trying to remember at which tournament she's supposed to be cheering.)