The saying – “A man works from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done” can be interpreted in a number of ways.

One thing is for certain: Moms have an innate ability to care for their kids. And sometimes that caring extends out of the home and onto the field of play.

Lawrence Girls Fast Pitch Association coach Bonnie Mills knows that well. She coaches the Green Extreme and Lightning and has coached her daughters for a few years in the LGFPA.

“I enjoy it a lot,” Bonnie said.

Moms have to do everything from fix snacks for the games, wash clothes, help kids with their homework, do laundry, find dirty socks, cook meals and fill the water jug.

But having the opportunity to coach her daughters – which is something not many parents get the chance to do – allows Bonnie to spend extra quality time with her kids.

Her daughter, Andrea, 11, plays for the Lightning. Andrea said playing on her mother’s team has been an enjoyable experience thus far.

“I think it’s good because you can work on stuff at home and then do extra stuff during practice and work on other things,” Andrea said. “We get to play softball and do family activities like play catch and hit off the tee.”

But doubling as a mom and coach can present differences between the two. Andrea has noticed changes in her mother’s demeanor when she is on the field.

“She’s telling them to, ‘Come on, you can do it!’ And at home she’s relaxed and calm,” Andrea said.

Andrea added that her mother manages the team just a little differently than she does her own household.

“She’s kind of strict,” Andrea said.

Andrea’s sister, Samantha, plays for the Green Extreme. But for her team, Samantha said her mother coaches similar in fashion to how she manages her family at home.

But one difference occurs when their mother has to harp on them if they make a bad play.

“I try to tell them that, ‘I’m your coach,'” Bonnie said. “They take it personal.”

Bonnie said that aspect of coaching can be difficult for mothers.

“Dads are expected to be like that, and moms are the more nurturing person,” she said.

Bonnie added that communicating with players at different age groups can be an adjustment, but one way to keep things as fair as possible for the kids – so that no one received preferential treatment – was to have them play different positions.

“We moved them around quite a bit,” Bonnie said. “We let everyone pitch who wanted to pitch in a game and everyone who wanted to catch got to catch in a game.”

When the games are over, some parents choose not to talk with their kids about what happened during the game. But the Mills family isn’t one of them.

“We talk about it sometimes,” Bonnie said. “We talk about what happened and how to improve. We like to talk softball.”

And Bonnie added that getting the chance to talk about softball and coaching her daughters for a few more years gives her a little extra time to bond with her kids. And for her, that’s time well spent.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.