CaCO3Girl posted:Dadof3 posted:......
It is breaking my heart to see him struggle like this. I am doing what I can to help him - he is getting lessons (and does phenomenal) I have golf ball wiffle balls that he hits with a 1" diameter pipe, and to make things even more challenging and fun for him and his younger brother, I started throwing airsoft bb's from about 10-15 feet - which he does very well hitting them (with the 1" pipe) as well.
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There is NOTHING wrong with wanting your kid to succeed and wishing things were different for them when they struggle. How many of us watched our kid learn to ride a bike, or taught them how to swim, and every failure they had we wished it would get better quicker? Nothing different when it's a slump at the plate.
My GUESS would be growth spurt combined with the added pressure of knowing he's not the top tog right now. I saw a great quote on twitter the other day, hit like it doesn't matter. And it's TRUE! Ge out of your head, imagine it's in a game that doesn't count, you are lead off and there are no outs. Hit like it doesn't matter!
I agree but that's a hard concept for an adult to live by, let alone a 13 year old.
Today's sports parent is completely different than when my kids were 13. We all know that it's not all good. When 13 year old athletes are committing, we know that isn't always healthy. That's why the NCAA made a rule change in recruiting, to take the pressure off the prospect in making a hasty decision. IMO, that should also take pressure off parents thinking their players are falling behind, or even question maybe they don't belong.
As stated, enjoy your kids, when they stumble as well as when they rise up. It goes by so fast. Too fast.
We are all lucky to have them here on earth, some are not.