A Soccer Mom’s Case for Bitcoin
I’m a retired soccer mom. It has been a few years since we got rid of our van, deleted the color-coded calendars and went to work with little to no sleep. Everyone knows that when babies are small, you wake up frequently. I hate to tell new parents that the sleepless nights of a newborn are nothing compared to the sleepless nights of waiting for your teenager who just started driving to come home.
I learned a lot during my times of being a soccer and football mom. First, always serve heaps of pasta before a game. Soaking white uniforms in Dawn dishwashing soap helps to get rid of the dirt and grass stains. Renting a car is always an option. It enabled me to have a clean car. Moms out there understand that backseats littered with fast food wrappers are a source of insecurity. The best part about renting a car for taking players and other parents to an away game is I didn’t have to figure out how to get the Cheetos off the seats. Also, if you get stuck having more than an average number of girls to transport, you can rent a twelve-passenger van. But the most important thing I remember from that time was: Don’t Trust, Verify.
The age of club sports tends to coincide with the first boy and girl parties. Believe me, I didn’t trust, I verified. Calling up the other parents with an offer to chip in for pizza is a great ice breaker. Believe me, soccer girls can eat as much pizza as football boys. My daughter and son didn’t mind picking up their favorite pop to take to the parties. I still didn’t sleep well until my kids were safely home, but my husband had an easier time convincing me that it was safe for them to go.
So why do I say that Bitcoin is for soccer moms? Bitcoin is for everyone. Listening and reading information about Bitcoin can be a deterrent for many soccer and football moms. For one, many of the people on the spaces talking about Bitcoin tend to be guys, often young guys. The focus of podcasts and articles tend to be inundated with techy information either with the technology that drives the ecosystem with miners and individuals running nodes. Or it is heavy with discussions of the global economic environment. While interesting, knowing that the federal reserve is not part of the federal government, is not useful in getting through the week. I mention this because it is one of many things that I didn’t understand until I paid more attention. All of that information is not necessary to participate in the Bitcoin community.
Participating with the Bitcoin community is as easy as downloading a wallet to your phone. Many people already have a wallet on their phone in the form of CashApp. Jameson Lopp has a website that includes information about downloading and using a wallet. It’s that easy. Maybe a fifteen-minute investment of time. I started with Strike. Now I use the Wallet of Satoshi, but I still have my Strike wallet. With Strike, I can send money to my daughter much like using Venmo. The best part, I started stacking satoshis five dollars at a time. Yup, five dollars’ worth of Bitcoin was my norm. Although, I have to admit around back-to-school time, I did a few two- and three-dollar purchases. That was all I had time for. That was all our very tight budget would allow. Wow, I’m glad I did.
So why am I writing this article? The Bitcoin community is much like the youth sports community. We are there for each other. Like when my fellow parents helped with transportation, bringing oranges and chaperoning parties, there is help. Many Bitcoiners do the research, hold people accountable and share what they have learned. When you have fifteen minutes, Bitcoiners can teach you how using Bitcoin is as easy as keeping Cheetos off your seats.
This is a guest post by Christine Bothun. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Satoshi’s Journal.
