Recently the father of a 12u travel ball kid left for work as normal, drove north until his gas ran out, got out of his truck, and took his own life. My son played baseball with this family, and near this family, for years. It really makes you think that many of the stresses we cause ourselves are just not that important!
For those with kids below high school I have the following words of advice:
-Let your kids have sleep overs the night before a game
-Let your kids swim the day of a game
-Let your kids skip a practice if they have been invited to a party
-Let your kids play AA baseball instead of Major baseball
-Let your kids throw arcing balls back into the ball bucket like it’s a basketball hoop
-Let your kids take other kids hats and play a game of keep away
-Let your kids run around the bases and slide into home after a rain out
-Let your kids go to the beach if you are at a beach tournament, even on game day
-Let your kids be kids
While I may have been guilty about disliking the ball bucket thing I have heard parents first hand stress about ALL of these things. While it is okay to search for information, while it is okay to let them practice what they love, don’t treat your kids like they are pro-athletes, it’s stressful on them and it’s stressful on you, let the kids be KIDS and enjoy them!