Take Me Out to the Ball Game (or something like it...)
And so it begins. My daughter is playing 6-and-under coach-pitch softball for G.O.R.C. and my husband is the coach. They will spend this precious time together forming a father-daughter bond that will last a lifetime. They'll see the best and worst of each other. They'll experience the thrill of victory, or in this team's case, the agony of defeat. And me? I'll be doing my best to not turn into one of "those parents" at the games.
You know the ones I mean. Those parents that take the games way too seriously. The parents that forget these are just little kids having fun. The parents that forget the games are about teaching sportsmanship and teamwork. I'm hopelessly competitive and a perfectionist which is why my husband is coaching and I'm not. He is full of patience and a love of the game. While I seriously can't handle the fact that these girls can't even step on a base to get an out because they're too busy celebrating the fact that they stopped the ball from rolling. It's painful.
I've never been much of a team player when it comes to sports. I swam all the way through high school so unless it was a relay, I only had to worry about myself. Let's just say that I know myself enough to let my friends play on the dirt while I took to the water. And I started to see signs in my daughter that she may be a more of a "personal sport " player than a team player. But she has a natural talent for softball (she broke our neighbor's window with a plastic ball and bat!) and when we suggested that Dad would coach, she agreed to play. And while she may grumble about having to go to practice or a game, she has fun once she gets there.
So I'll go to as many games as I can (my three-year-old is worthless after 6 p.m. so night games are hard) and do my best to cheer through gritted teeth as yet another girl stands in place rather than run after she gets a hit. It's a game after all. It supposed to be fun. At least that's what I hear.
Cindy Bryl
8:26 am on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
So funny. I enjoy your honesty and ability to 'know yourself'. There is a place for parents who can't realize their limits and spout from the mouth....it's called the parking lot!
Cindy Bryl
8:27 am on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
My father used to sit alone in the deserted area of the bleachers at our HS and College events so he could say what he wanted and know one would hear. Usually, he was making fun of idiot parents. =)
Meryl Tseng
10:07 am on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
I'm right there with you on the painfulness of it sometimes, especially since my daughter is often the one not running! But I tell myself that it's less about the sport and more about what they're gaining: social time, being part of a team, having to follow directions and pay attention (which often doesn't happen). I'm especially dreading that late game in Brooklyn Park tonight, and I'll admit I'm hoping for rain! But I know the girls will have fun, so I suck it up and count the days to the end of the season. See you tonight :-)
Jason Humm
11:41 am on Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Maybe the teams should also provide "uniforms" for parents like you--a straight jacket and a gimp mask. That way you can't say or throw anything.
Marc Riley
9:51 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Not a fan of organized sports for kids at this age. Personally I didn't even think of playing a sport until I was in Junior high. There are far too many other things to do with your young life, that are much more productive. If one of my kids says, "Hey Dad...I want to play THIS SPORT or THAT SPORT" then sure, let's do it. Otherwise, they will do whatever their little heart desires. :) I'll teach them the skills they need to survive and interact with other kids on the playground! haha. (not kidding though).
John
9:54 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Marc, I'm gonna have to disagree. My son started playing soccer at 4 and it was his favorite thing to look forward to. It teaches teamwork and it's arguably the only exercise young kids get....unless you're under the false impression that they exercise in gym during school.
My son's 10 now and he LOVES soccer practice twice a week plus the Sunday games. It teaches kids that they're not the center of the universe and that being a working as part of a team is important.
Marc Riley
10:47 am on Sunday, May 6, 2012
"it's arguably the only exercise young kids get" If this is true for ANY child...that's a 100% parental fail. And for the record, John, my kids are now signed up for basketball and field hockey camps, because they asked to do it.
Tim Lemke
10:39 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
I loved playing Little League and started with t-ball at age 5. I don't even remember if they really kept score. I think the key at that young age is to just make sure the kids are enjoying themselves, getting some exercise and learning teamwork and social skills.
I do sometimes sense that there's too much "infrastructure" around the sports, with ultra-organized leagues, tournaments, etc.
One thing I miss from my youth is having the teams named after local businesses. Over the years, we had team names like White's Beverages and Trevose Flowers. Now they're all named after real major or minor league teams. I feel like the community part of it is lost a bit.
But my kid is not yet 3, so I'm not involved yet to really see how it all is.
Marc Riley
8:53 am on Saturday, May 5, 2012
John, which part in particular did you disagree with? I didn't really type anything that a complete stranger could/should disagree with. I spoke of my experience as a child, and then I spoke of how I will handle MY kids and whether or not they want to participate in sports. Is it the part where I said "There are far too many other things to do with your young life that are much more productive"? I sure hope you're not insinuating that SPORTS are in fact more important than...oh, I don't know, spending one on one time with your child at a museum or a park, interacting with them while they read? I'm not suggesting you can't do both sports AND that stuff, all I'm saying is that there IS much more PRODUCTIVE stuff to do with your time AND your child's. Every child is different. Just re-read what I wrote, and try again, because I personally disagree with you disagreeing with my post. You don't know me or my kids.