A friend recently informed me that his three children are scheduled to be in three different states during an upcoming weekend for three different football-related activities.

My question to him was how he and his wife were going to be at three places at once. Or, at the very least, how was one of them going to be in the third state?

I’m sure he’s not alone. In this day and age, travel teams aren’t content competing or attending camps in the next county and sometimes not even in the next state.

Fortunately, when parents get their children involved in sports at this level they realize there will be instances when they’ll be asked to take along an extra player, and it’s often payback for having sent their own child with a willing family at some point. It’s that willingness that makes travel sports thrive like they do.

But parents need to be considerate when asking another family to take on the extra responsibility of an additional child, especially if the trip involves an overnight stay. Here are some things to keep in mind.

• Try asking a parent who is going with just one child. In other words, there isn’t the added responsibility of supervising non-playing siblings, who are often younger and require a lot of attention.
• Offer to pay for half the hotel room and half the gas. It is still half the price of what you would have been paying if you went with your child on the trip.
• Send enough money for your child’s meals. Remember they eat three meals a day, not just dinner. When I sent my son with another family, I always treated the hosts to dinner on one of the nights. Nothing says thanks like a free meal.
• Make sure the host family has the proper health insurance information in case a hospital visit is necessary. Hopefully not, but you never know.
• Touch base frequently with the parent in charge, just in case you need to know something your own child isn’t willing to share via a text message.
• Reiterate the importance of near-perfect behavior to your child. Remind him that if there are any behavior-related issues, the next time you can’t attend a tournament, he won’t either.

Speaking of not attending a tournament -- there is nothing wrong with your child missing one tournament if you can’t attend and can’t make other arrangements. Sometimes other family activities have to be the priority. It’s one of life’s lessons, and after all, isn’t that what we are trying to teach through youth sports?

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years, originally as a coach and board member with his now-adult son and most recently "just as a dad" with his 8- and 10-year-old sons. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.