Life As A Baseball Mom

I knew when we found out we were having a boy that he would one day play baseball.  My husband played as a child and he coached his nephew's team.  It seemed that having our son try the game would be inevitable.  From t-ball to 12U I have sat through many games cheering him on and also feeling frustrated when something went wrong.  There have been several careless mistakes, or just bad calls from the umpire, but that has turned into a lot of growth and lessons learned.  He's so much better than he was before and I'm super proud of him for sticking it out and enjoying the game.  He has the heart for this sport.  Even when he's not on the field he's in the backyard swinging his bat.  I'm sure he's out there imagining he's in the big leagues ... hey, maybe someday. 

Last evening was his last game of the season and a big part of me is actually glad.  This was a long season and often frustrating.  Not because of anything he did.  In fact, I'd say this was his personal best season yet.  They lost every game and it was agony to watch.  I would often grow frustrated at the coach, and he's my husband, by the way.  I've heard comments from other parents sitting close to me.  The players were becoming frustrated with themselves or with others on the team.  It was a rough one but they got through it.  As the season went on they grew stronger and played better and hopefully they take these lessons and apply them next year.

Last night my son made 5 outs at second base, 3 of them being in one inning.  One player referred to him as the MVP of the game.  Every game, no matter how it's played, he's always my MVP.  He plays his best as catcher and second base.  Who knows what position he'll be when he plays for high school but I'm going to continue to look forward to watching him play.

So often I hear kids say they don't want to play the sport but their parents make them.  Parents, don't do that to your children.  Let them try new things but make sure it brings them happiness.  Baseball is a great sport that teaches sportsmanship, team work and has plenty of room to teach them how to grow and adapt.  I'm glad he enjoys it so much.  

This is one proud baseball mom.

See ya on the field next spring!