Krakatoa,
Interesting post! No, I would not want to know ahead of time what the future holds. I don’t think my son would either. He has set himself some pretty lofty goals in baseball and I think I have taught him that everything depends on how hard he works and his attitude toward the task at hand. Will he obtain those goals? Who knows? The odds are against it... but if he works hard and falls short of his goals, the lessons he learns in his attempt to succeed may be more valuable than reaching the goal itself.
I have NO crystal ball. Instead I have a big brass hinge on a plaque in my office that was given to me by my employees. I have always felt in business, the future hinges on your previous steps. Progression through the levels of baseball is much the same. It all starts prior to high school (I know there are late-bloomers but they are the exceptions)... First you listen to what your son wants to do and together you work out a plan. You offer to HELP him...You don’t MAKE him do anything related to baseball. You are the mentor and the monitor. Your job is to keep him on track...but...if he wants to waiver from his plan; you are the one that has to adjust. You bite your lip! You start to learn a lot about your son. What motivates him and what hurts him. You talk with him about his goals on a daily basis. He’s driven by emotions and dreams.... you are the one that has to be in touch with reality. You learn to help him manage his youthful dream with his impending rendezvous with reality. As he develops and matures your role changes...as does his. He suddenly becomes aware of reality. He’s seen his teammates falter and fail. He’s seen society take its’ toll on those less committed. He's seen some of the ugly things life has to offer. He's becoming a man. You become his friend and his fan. You no longer have to be the constant nagging voice in his life because his maturity has made him a better listener.
Being the parent of an athlete I can tell you that I love it... and I hate it... but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I admit it’s been difficult but exciting. The parents of athletes have a very difficult task. You have to teach your son to be a winner while teaching him that it’s OK to lose. You know he trusts you and you knowingly encourage him to venture into a situation where you know he will be challenged to his very limits? You tell him to never give up, knowing all along ...at some point, quitting is not bad...at some point quitting will become the wise choice. If there were a crystal ball and we could see the future we could all see one thing for sure, all our sons will hang up the cleats…someday. ‘Till then, we parents need to be there.... For them, for us, for baseball.
Fungo
