How would you handle this?

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My thought was next year he will be away on his own making all his own decisions, like it or not so what better time then to start now.

Exactly. Reading my mind!

I think you definitely have to let them enjoy thier youth/HS life outside of baseball... although it IS tough when their first five choices for doing so are something like snowboarding, skateboarding the steepest hill in town, mud tackle football, big-air tubing/wakeboarding and dry riverbed disc rides behind a quad.

God, I wish I just made that up!

At least with the street hockey in shorts, they remember helmets and pads MOST of the time.

Chicks dig scars.

Cabbagedad....I am not going to show him your post. i don't want to give him any ideas..

Depends on their commitment to their sport. My son willingly gave up wake boarding and snow boarding as an incoming high school freshman because he really wanted to make varsity as a frosh(he did).

Fast forward to college - same commitment to baseball. The risk of injury in the above sports was too high for him to risk injury. He feels like he's got the rest of his life to do other sports. His choice and one we supported.

quote:

Originally posted by cabbagedad:
I think you definitely have to let them enjoy thier youth/HS life outside of baseball... although it IS tough when their first five choices for doing so are something like snowboarding, skateboarding the steepest hill in town, mud tackle football, big-air tubing/wakeboarding and dry riverbed disc rides behind a quad.

God, I wish I just made that up!

At least with the street hockey in shorts, they remember helmets and pads MOST of the time.

"And the REST of the story..."
So while those are typical of his first choices, we certainly don't always allow them (particularly the ones we know about ahead of time ). Of course, when we do, we educate on safety precautions and likelihood of injury as well as constant reminders of what is at stake with his baseball aspirations. He is starting to tone down those activities as he becomes more focused on those goals. He still just has it in his blood, though.
To some extent, it's part of what propels him on the diamond - very aggressive baserunning, getting after balls defensively, etc.
Oddly enough, his worst injury was HS basketball game... fell in the shower afterwards

My first question at the hospital - "was the towel on or off?"
And, yes, coach2709, the girls did come visit!

I bite my tongue every time my son talks about doing something risky...which is practically everyday. He goes skiing, sledding, mountain climbing, four wheeling (ATV), snowmobiling, and paintballing. The worst is longboarding! He plays basketball with his buddies at the gym and touch football that gets way out of hand. The thing I worry about the most is the rough housing and horse play between he and his friends. He is committed to play college baseball and loves the game very much. Will he curb his enthusiasm for other sports and activities that could sideline his opportunities to get on the field? I don't know, but I have decided not to ask him to change his way of living life. He is who he is and I like his energy and his zest for life!

You can't wrap the kid in bubblewrap. The most dangerous thing he does everyday is get in a motor vehicle either as passenger or driver. All other activities don't even hold a candle to that including skydiving. Geronimo !

risk .....every boy's middle name. i guess thats what makes em boys.

You know boys will be boys. You can not protect them from life. Of course you can pound in their heads the need to use caution and not take risks they shouldn't take. But you have to let them enjoy life and do the things they love to do. The first time I left my son in a Deer stand 25' in the air and then allowed him to be the woods with a shotgun or rifle , well its tough. Or the first time they set off down through the woods on the ATV. Or going to the lake with their friends to ride jet skis etc. How about that first time they set out in the car on their own? I dont think we ever stop worrying about our kids. I have a son who is 25 and is married. He is a police officer. Everytime the phone rings late at night you worry.

You raise them to the best of your ability and you talk to them, etc etc. Then you pray a lot. And you put your faith in God to watch over them and keep them safe. It helps to know that there is someone in control that knows best and has a plan. Now this is just me. I understand others feel differently. But so far it has allowed me to survive.

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risk .....every boy's middle name. i guess thats what makes em boys.

irks .....every girl's middle name. i guess thats what makes em girls.

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Eagle - Don't know if you got the info you're looking for but it has turned into a great thread,thanks!
I am a bit disappointed in a few things though..
Wood didn't include pics with his reply - talk about an open door.
Just once, I'd like to read something from coach May and think "that guy doesn't know what he's talking about". Instead I'm trying to figure how to get a notice any time he posts.
HRKB - I can relate except I'm trying to figure out how jr is getting all the skiing, mountain climbing and longboarding in the greater Dallas FW area. Can I have some of your travel budget?

quote:

You raise them to the best of your ability and you talk to them, etc etc. Then you pray a lot. And you put your faith in God to watch over them and keep them safe. It helps to know that there is someone in control that knows best and has a plan. Now this is just me. I understand others feel differently. But so far it has allowed me to survive.

My mother feels the same way about me...I take comfort in the fact that my worries are a normal part of being a parent. It also allows me to 'let it be'...

My son is an avid snowboarder. There's nothing I can say about it. I probably shouldn't have told him in college I skied my brains out during break before baseball started in January. Look on the bright side. It's great for the legs and stamina. The key is not doing anything stupid. If he boards emphasize heavily he wears heavy duty wrist guards. The most common injury in boarding is broken wrists from breaking falls.

Now on the flip side, it dawned on me one day after my son's shoulder surgery if falling on his shoulders while boarding had anything to do with it. He fell doing an agility drill and separated his shoulder. The specialist thinks the injury may have been cummulative over time. Then again he also grew up playing s0ccer, football and basketball in addition to baseball and boarding.

You have to let them live life and learn.

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I kid you not cabbagedad, my wife just sent one of our not so irksome daughters to the market to buy...



She has a good head on her shoulders and hopefully one in her shopping bag as well.

And as far as that door goes...often times it is best left closed!




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Ahhhh, that's more like it!
OK, I'm sure this has been attempted many times before, but I have to ask for your secret with the great images... (I couldn't begin to attempt the accompanying cleverness).
I'm sure I won't get a direct answer but I figure at least I'll get another round.
This site is an amazing resource but wouldn't be NEARLY the same without the "lighter side" balance you provide.
Thank You!

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You're welcome. That's kind of you to say cabbagedad.

And if you never get to use this line with Coach May...

"that guy doesn't know what he's talking about".

...you will certainly have ample opportunities to bark it at me! And I'll understand. And I'll know you're paying attention!

My secret? Well how can I explain it? I suppose I could do what the Colonel does and never reveal his recipe.



There is no secret really. After reading something that catches my attention I just get a picture in my head and then go about searching for a similar image on Google©. Sometimes I find just the right picture, sometimes I strike out, but often I find something even better.






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"Instead I'm trying to figure how to get a notice any time he posts."

Here's what to do. Believe me...this time.

Left click on Coach May's name on the left side of any of his posts.

A green box will appear. Scroll down to the bottom choice and you will see this...Notify me of New Posts by Coach_May.

Left click on this and a Notification Tool box will open.

Tailor your notification from the choices provided.

And then enjoy an immense amount of knowledge and common sense.




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I knew I wasn't the only one going through this. As for weekends and hanging with the guys. I am nervous until I here the garage door open. But lately our house is the place where everyone comes over hangs out , plays pool, xbox tourneys, poker games and spends the night. There are usually 10-12 of them. The expense comes in feeding them. They are always hungry. But at least I know where they are and their parents know they are safe.

But it doesn't get any easier next year. I have a daughter who is a freshman.

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You're feeding ten or twelve teenaged boys at a time? Have you tried using one of these out in the garage?

Be sure to bolt it down...otherwise they'll scoot it all over the place. Your rocker panels will never look the same!






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Nice, thanks Wood!

Eagle, condolences about the daughter... The boys were SOOOOO easy compared to the 10 years spent during my only daughter's soph and junior year.

I would handle it just like you did. In fact, that's exactly what we did when our sons were in high school and wanted to ski over the holidays. Thankfully, they backed out, too.

Once they get to college, their coach will take care of it. In the pros, its written into their contract.

TxMom,
You may be on to something. I wish I had good reason to know what contractual detail/commitment may be involved with NLI. That may be a factor for Eagle.

Reminds me of a story from several years ago when both my boys were playing LL...

Every spring I'd remind them that with baseball season starting, they needed to be careful with their other play...baseball was their "thing" and we had already learned through experience how much they did NOT enjoy watching when they could have been playing...it was one of the first really nice weather days and their first practices were the next day...

My wife asked me to get the boys inside for dinner. I looked out the window to see them on the trampoline next door. I told her that seeing that reminded me that it was time for that spring chat...

I walked to the door and called them to dinner. My call was interrupted by my younger son's scream...Both came running with younger limping slightly, both hopped over the fence and when they got close I could see my younger son's toe had been dislocated...A "quick" trip to the Emergency Room solved the problem and - at his insistance and doctor's approval, he practiced the next day.

Needless to say, the reminder got taken care of...

The stakes change as kids get older and closer to their ultimate goal. Hopefully they take that into account as they mature. But I agree with most of the posters that you can't wrap a kid in bubble wrap and the more you let them think for themselves, the sooner (hopefully) they arrive at a place where they make good decisions.

My son played his first basketball game of the season Saturday morning. Jammed a finger. On his throwing hand. Exactly one of the reasons mom and I didn't want him to play this year.

But he had a blast, stayed in the game, and made his two hours of cage time later that afternoon. I've been talking to him about going to his left more; now maybe he will!

Great thread! Sometimes they just have to live and learn. Mood Jr. can't sit still for too long without the urge to do something athletic so it was no big deal when he went up to the local park on Super Bowl Sunday last year to play some rat hockey with his buds. He wasn't gone 15 minutes when he called and said he fell on his ankle. They were just stepping on to the ice and he basically caught a crack or something and just fell with his ankle under his body unfortunately. I got him home and took the skate off and saw his grapefruit sized ankle. Three hours later he's in a temp cast and texting his basketball coach that he's not gonna play the last four games of the year.

Fortunately, his hoops team won three of four and took conference and the cast was off just in time for the baseball season. During the NHL playoffs a buddy of his got the chance to watch a Blackhawks road game at the United Center on the scoreboard screen and skate on the UC ice. He didn't have skates. Without hesitating Jr. gave him his skates and said keep 'em, I won't be playin hockey anymore.