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Kelli (Stay-at-home mom of Logan 9, and Whitney 7): It may be raining and cold, but I can tell spring is around the corner.
Jen (Dual-career mom of Jacob 6, and Caleb, 3): By the blooms on the trees? The daffodil, crocus and tulips popping up? The trees beginning to leaf out?
Kelli: No, I’ve already been hit up to be the team mom for baseball starting this week.
Jen: Ah, yes. When your husband coaches, everyone automatically assumes you’ll be the team mom.
Kelli: I know! As a baseball mom I just thought I could sit in the stands and be my son’s biggest cheerleader. I didn’t realize the commitment involved! No one told me that once you sign a kid up for sports you get peer pressured into being team mom, snack shack volunteer, fundraising coordinator, carpool driver, score keeper, snack coordinator, party organizer…Isn’t it enough that baseball dominates our calendar from now until June?
Jen: Do you think they’re going to ask me for my third-born child?
Kelli: I’d protect her with your life if I were you.
Jen: Actually, I don’t mind volunteering. It takes quite a bit of juggling with both of us working full-time, but I’m willing to make the sacrifices because I know without people volunteering the opportunities for recreational sports would be limited.
Kelli: My husband wouldn’t have it any other way than to be a volunteer coach. He absolutely loves getting out there with the kids and being a part of the whole experience. He truly cherishes this time.
Jen: I like it because it gives the kids extra one-on-one time with the coaching parent too. Plus, it is pretty cool to be the coach's kid, right?
Kelli: There’s also something special about witnessing your child hit the ball off the tee for the first time and seeing them beam with accomplishment. It’s not that you expect them to grow up to be the next Willie Mays - it’s just that you know they will never be that little and inexperienced again.
Jen: I think whenever you get to be the first one to introduce a child to a new skill it is a great opportunity!
Kelli: So in honor of the start of
Jen: …you realize there is an actual difference between soccer cleats and baseball cleats.
Kelli: …you’re forced to do laundry more frequently to keep up with the dirty uniform.
Jen: ...you don’t want your child to slide into base because then you will definitely have to wash the uniform.
Kelli: …you start the season complaining about the cold and end the season complaining about the heat.
Jen: …even though you aren't supposed to keep score, you secretly do.
Kelli: …you always make sure you have change in your pocket for a sno-cone after the game.
Jen: ...or you threaten to take away the post-game sno-cone if they don't listen.
Kelli: …your younger children are on a first name basis with the snack shack volunteers.
Jen: …during a two hour baseball game nachos never sounded so good.
Kelli: …you make a note of buying white underwear when you can see your son’s camouflage print underwear through his uniform pants.
Jen: ...you try to convince the coaches to use the white baseball pants instead of the gray ones so that you can at least use bleach!
Kelli: …your purse in never without sunflower sees and Big League Chew.
Jen: ...and a bottle of water for those strangely hot May days.
Kelli: …there’s a constant thumping of balls and bats rolling around in the back of the car.
Jen: …you wonder if you'll ever find a cup small enough to fit your six year old son.
Kelli: …a missing glove can cause mass hysteria.
Jen: And finally...it takes more time to get your kid's baseball gear on than it does for them to be up to bat.
Kelli Wheeler is a
Jen Hall is a
Ten Tips for Staying Sane for the Game
1. Remember it’s just a game. During the early years of recreational sports the more important skills are cooperation and teamwork, building self-confidence, learning to listen and follow instructions, and sharing camaraderie.
2. Leave the coaching to the coaches. You should be there to positively support your child and to set a good example in sportsmanship.
3. It’s Not Your Game. Rather than push your child to be the athlete you think they should be, go join your own sport and push yourself.
4. Be a respectful cheerleader. It’s okay to cheer the team on and show your enthusiasm for the game. But don’t be obnoxious about it. Take a clue if people don’t like to sit next to you.
5. Distract yourself. If it’s just too hard to stay calm, offer to be the base coach, score keeper, timer, or other impartial volunteer.
6. Distance yourself. Sit on the visitor’s side if you think it will help reign in your rhetoric to sit in hostile territory.
7. Look for the positive. Instead of getting frustrated about what’s going wrong, look for what’s going right. Praise signs of improvement.
8. There’s no “I” in team. It’s not just your kid out there. Learn each player’s name and make a point of complimenting them on something they did well in the game too.
9. Check your athletic ambitions at the door. Resist the temptation to steer your kids into your favorite sport, have them follow in your footsteps or sign them up for whatever everyone else is doing and let them find their own way.
10. Have fun. Remember the point of recreational sports is to play and have fun and for the love of the game. Scholarship hopes and professional aspirations have no business in the formative years of children’s athletics.
