Short and Sweet

Simple can be better. In a world that grows increasingly complex, sometimes the best things are short and sweet. So, today, let’s look at some easy rules to help keep balance in your daughter’s game.

Most of us need a little help with the proper focus from time to time. Just remember:
1-Softball is a game. If she is having fun she will keep coming back.
2-How do you define fun? Write a definition that makes you smile, brings back memories, and keeps you on track. When you are faced with a difficult decision in her game, use that definition as a guideline.
3-The expectations and reactions of parents largely determine the amount of joy she will find in the game.
4-Though some parents do not get it, kids do not always have to be the star on the team to have fun.
5-The more fun she has, the more likely she will become a star without realizing it.
6- The greatest thing you can do today is to help her leave the field excited about returning tomorrow.
7-Do not confuse “easy” with “fun”. Difficult things like video games, chess, and softball will always thrive because challenges complete us. Let her learn to “process” in healthy ways.
8-Help her realize that it is okay to make mistakes while trying to do great things. Life hands you bumps and bruises, but happy is the person who learns to get up, dust herself off, and make another diving attempt to stop the ball.
9-Coaches will not make everyone happy. Maturity comes through learning to work with different people in different situations. Do not try to solve everything for her.
10-Overcoming obstacles in our own way makes us feel good about ourselves, helps us learn to take responsibility, and makes any part of life more rewarding and fun.
One day I arrived at a facility and overheard a parent screaming at her pitcher, “Come on, set her down! Quit playing games. You will never get a scholarship if you show mercy. She does not deserve to be on the same field as you. Take her down!” In the right context some of these statements might be appropriate in some way, but strung together like that, and with anger in the voice, I wanted to turn around and leave. Why would any kid enjoy the game in that environment?
You don’t have to do everything right. Do your best and it you will likely find the right balance. My greatest compliment came when our younger daughter said, “I love to practice my pitching. It gives me another chance to be with you”. Several years passed. As we worked together this summer to prepare her for the coming college year, she talked of her goals and dreams. This is the way it should be. She was directing the practice. My job was done. Now I could simply enjoy this time as another chance to be with her.