Childhood Sports

Being a sports mom is different than I ever imagined.  I was the most overly competitive kid and as a result my greatest desire as a parent is to see my kids smiling.  Lately, Scott has had a really hard time in baseball.  He went from being confident and having fun to being totally down on himself and in tears most games.  As soon as he sees the line-up, his body language screams defeat.  I just want to tell him over and over, he is great and he can do it, but my words don't seem to be louder than the line-up.  He did a mock line-up in his journal the other day and it made me sad.  

I am not a baseball coach and claim 0 knowledge of the sport, but do wish this age was more developmental. Our team did awesome in the beginning of the season when they were all rotating and now that they have their positions, it seems like the kids aren't as happy and definitely not doing as well.  

Some kids just want to pitch and our coach is afraid to allow them to pitch thinking it wouldn't be good for them to be defeated in front of family and friends. When did sports change that it isn't ok for a kid to at least try.  

I recall a time that a coach gave me the opportunity as a 14 year old to travel across the country to be a part of a relay at nationals.  I was the weakest link but he told me I was the most important link. When I was on the blocks and looked over to the girls from Stanford who were better than me I had total confidence that I was just as fast because I had a coach that believed in me.  And not just by telling me that he believed in me, but by having me travel across the country and putting me up on those blocks against some of the fastest kids in the nation.  That day he taught me that a team was only as strong as their weakest link and the power of believing in your athlete.

I saw an 8 year old pitcher, doing well, pulled in the middle of an inning and replaced with a better pitcher.  I don't know why he was pulled, but I hoped the kids on the team didn't care about winning more than their teammate doing his best.

An unforgettable memory as a kid. I was at my last college conference.  I had come for the very end of the season after my mission.  Splits determined the conference relay.  I was the fastest split and when my coach confronted me to suit up, I knew that my teammate, who was part of the relay all season deserved that spot.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED to race and I LOVED relays, but I believed in her and I wanted her to succeed more than I needed to succeed.  I had been on more than enough winning relays.  It was her turn.  Nothing compares to that feeling of being a part of a team.

Being a sports parent has helped me become a better coach.  I don't know if I will ever coach competitively again, but I feel like I am growing as a coach. I have gone through periods that I could have lifted and believed in my swimmers more, looked for kids who were struggling and listened to parents who knew their kid better than me.  

I saw my college coach the other day and have thought about how very BLESSED I was to have some amazing men and woman in my life who were my coaches.  

I hope we don't forget the real life lessons that we hope to teach our kids through sports.  The importance of working together as a team.  The importance of lifting the weak link. The importance of working towards goals.  The importance of overcoming failures.  The importance of having fun.  The importance of believing in yourself. I truly believe that a team is only as strong as their weakest link.  

I know Scott will grow from this experience and become a better person.  I am grateful for that!  And I am grateful for good coaches who bless these kids lives.  I hope that someday my kids will be able to sit down and reflect on what helped them become a better friend, spouse, parent and teammate and realize how wonderful the journey can be!

At the end of the day, I am forever grateful for these coaches who put in all these volunteers to help our children.  Sometimes I don't agree with every philosophy, as I am sure parents might not agree with my coaching.  Most importantly I am forever grateful for the friendships that are made.  Scott has made some incredible friends that I hope will be a part of his life for a very long time!  That makes all the ups and downs worth it.

What are your thoughts?  What do you love and hate about childhood sports? Do you wish anything was different?  Do you think it is different than when we were young?