DP:
You seem like a nice person. You have taken all this advice in good cheer. It was certainly all given in good faith.
I think I can speak for several people here, however, by saying that more than a few of the comments you have made about your 7 year old son and his abilities, his "streak" and his "league" have raised a pretty good sized red flag.
A red flag of caution. Don't be that dad!
Honestly! Are you putting us on? As I read through the thread, I kept thinking "this isn't for real - he is baiting us. But then you would post something that made me believe you were for real.
If you are putting us on, congratulations for a very well done ruse! Nuanced, yet just enough over the top to be outrageous, followed by appreciation for feedback even if somewhat critical in tone. Well done!
If this is completely on the up and up, I just have to say: Seven year olds don't have "hitting streaks." Seven year olds aren't "high fastball hitters." Seven year olds don't "go fence." (Actually, I am not sure anyone ever does. Never heard that one before. Swordfighting?)
I honestly don't mean to be rude, but your boy is seven years old. I don't doubt that he is probably pretty darn good compared to his peers, but the academic equivalent of your attitude would be like your son being the best reader in his second grade class, and you contacting the MacArthur Foundation asking for their Genius Grant application.
Hang out here awhile, and I guarantee you that you will develop all sorts of relationships you will treasure for a long long time. There is nothing about high school and college baseball that you cannot find out here. We are excited to have someone like you join this community, someone with a young child who might be here for a long time as his child climbs the baseball ladder. We LOVE following, encouraging, and enjoying the kids of our friends.
I also guarantee that you will gain some perspective that I, frankly, think you are lacking right now.
You have shown, by your responses, that you are willing to listen and take advice in the same good faith in which it was offered. That speaks volumes of you, in my opinion.
The advice you have gotten so far has been stellar. Have fun, but most of all, let your kid have fun. As he progresses, there is more and more about the game and business of baseball that really isn't all that much pure fun. It increasingly resembles plain old fashioned work. The kid has to really love the game to do that work.
Be careful. It has to be HIS love of the game, if he is going to want to pay that price as he matures.
Truthfully I couldn't stop laughing for 10 minutes. I was waiting for "HIS DREAM IS TO PLAY PRO BALL"
The poster could be putting us on - but then again - he may not be. I am sure we all know many parents that felt the way this poster did. Some will express it openly - and some wont.
None of that really matters though.
Eventually - either nicely or very harshly - the parent will come to realize that the only thing that really matters is helping your son or daughter find something that they love to do - and as a result are willing to expend 100% effort all the time doing it.
And when that love diminishes - or disappears - its time for them to find something else to do.
Even harsher is the realization that 100% effort - all the time - is just a prerequisite. Just a pass into the club.
It still doesnt guarantee anything - other than a validation of your character.
But that validation may be the most important lesson of all - IMO.
None of that really matters though.
Eventually - either nicely or very harshly - the parent will come to realize that the only thing that really matters is helping your son or daughter find something that they love to do - and as a result are willing to expend 100% effort all the time doing it.
And when that love diminishes - or disappears - its time for them to find something else to do.
Even harsher is the realization that 100% effort - all the time - is just a prerequisite. Just a pass into the club.
It still doesnt guarantee anything - other than a validation of your character.
But that validation may be the most important lesson of all - IMO.
That quite simply is the best post I have ever read on this site. It says it all.
Rob, I felt the exact same way. Is this a joke or a hoax? High fastball hitting 7 yo. Wow!! "Go fence" at 7? Double Wow!!!
But once again the HSBBW comes to the rescue of a parent in need. Advice given without disdain. We all know the parent we would love to tell to just sit down, shut up and relax because if you don't you are doing more harm than good. DP was just told those things in a tactful and respectful way by parents who have seen it all.
Super Website to the rescue again.
But once again the HSBBW comes to the rescue of a parent in need. Advice given without disdain. We all know the parent we would love to tell to just sit down, shut up and relax because if you don't you are doing more harm than good. DP was just told those things in a tactful and respectful way by parents who have seen it all.
Super Website to the rescue again.
If nothing else, DP can learn to put this all in perspective. All of us have been in his shoes at one time or another. With our guy, I, of course wanted him to play baseball but as a little dude, he had no interest in the game at all. So we didn't push it. He tried karate, swimming, basketball, whatever struck him at the moment. When he was 9, we moved and happened to end up in a neighborhood with a bunch of boys around his age. That spring he asked if he could try baseball. He did very well considering he had little practice other than tossing a ball around. Well, next thing you know, I'm coaching year 2 and he's a stud and we are pushing him to practice and get better and guess what? By year 3 and 4, we did nothing but fight. I had little fun coaching him, he got frustrated playing for me. For all the success he was having, the joy was diminishing. All Star season took on a life of its own, no vacations, we have to win, go to Williamsport and then its on to the pros! Of course, we never did well in all stars, never went to Williamsport...
When he moved to the big diamond, I backed off. I helped out if the coaches asked but tried to stay away. He got into other sports as well as baseball and did pretty well. I supported him in all of them, even the ones that I didn't care for and offered what I could, lessons or reading up on the skills. Eventually, he came to us and told us he wanted to concentrate on baseball, he felt it was his best sport and that he thought he had a chance if he worked at it. He really did buckle down and it paid off for him as he will now play D1 after graduation. I'm convinced of two things. If I had remained hands on, he would no longer being playing baseball and two, if he didn't make his own choice to do this, nothing I could have done could have pushed him this way. If I said focus on baseball, he would have wanted football. He had to grow up enough on his own to see what was his best skill set and decide if it was something he really wanted. All the parental wishing and hoping and prodding wouldn't have done anything but antagonize until he figured out what was HIS dream.
When he moved to the big diamond, I backed off. I helped out if the coaches asked but tried to stay away. He got into other sports as well as baseball and did pretty well. I supported him in all of them, even the ones that I didn't care for and offered what I could, lessons or reading up on the skills. Eventually, he came to us and told us he wanted to concentrate on baseball, he felt it was his best sport and that he thought he had a chance if he worked at it. He really did buckle down and it paid off for him as he will now play D1 after graduation. I'm convinced of two things. If I had remained hands on, he would no longer being playing baseball and two, if he didn't make his own choice to do this, nothing I could have done could have pushed him this way. If I said focus on baseball, he would have wanted football. He had to grow up enough on his own to see what was his best skill set and decide if it was something he really wanted. All the parental wishing and hoping and prodding wouldn't have done anything but antagonize until he figured out what was HIS dream.
Freddie's post reminded me of something from this summer when my son took five called thirds over two weekends and I yelled at him. I found a great slump buster for my son. I stayed home the following weekend. He relaxed and drove the ball. Then I went the following weekend and shut up.
A friend who had problems with his son sucks on lollipops during the game. He figures by the time he pulls the lollipop out of his mouth his brain will have caught up with his mouth.
A friend who had problems with his son sucks on lollipops during the game. He figures by the time he pulls the lollipop out of his mouth his brain will have caught up with his mouth.
quote:Originally posted by FreddieFastball:
... I'm convinced of two things. If I had remained hands on, he would no longer being playing baseball and two, if he didn't make his own choice to do this, nothing I could have done could have pushed him this way.... All the parental wishing and hoping and prodding wouldn't have done anything but antagonize until he figured out what was HIS dream.
Freddie - outstanding post and welcome to the hsbbweb! That is what I meant by saying that parents would live to regret it if they did not back off. Nonetheless, some of us got lucky and our sons overcame our ignorance about things
FWIW - I am skeptical of the original post as well. On the other hand, this thread has turned out wonderfully with some excellent stories where parents initially overcame their mistakes and righted the ship in time to the benefit of their children. These lessons about pushing our kids (in an unhealthy manner) go beyond baseball imho.
Again, welcome
Thanks again to all the postive posters who gave us great advice. Junior had a great game last night. After the game, he had a snowcone and a corndog and everyone went home happy. Thanks again to all the fine folks on this board.
quote:Originally posted by FreddieFastball:
If nothing else, DP can learn to put this all in perspective. All of us have been in his shoes at one time or another. With our guy, I, of course wanted him to play baseball but as a little dude, he had no interest in the game at all. So we didn't push it. He tried karate, swimming, basketball, whatever struck him at the moment. When he was 9, we moved and happened to end up in a neighborhood with a bunch of boys around his age. That spring he asked if he could try baseball. He did very well considering he had little practice other than tossing a ball around. Well, next thing you know, I'm coaching year 2 and he's a stud and we are pushing him to practice and get better and guess what? By year 3 and 4, we did nothing but fight. I had little fun coaching him, he got frustrated playing for me. For all the success he was having, the joy was diminishing. All Star season took on a life of its own, no vacations, we have to win, go to Williamsport and then its on to the pros! Of course, we never did well in all stars, never went to Williamsport...
When he moved to the big diamond, I backed off. I helped out if the coaches asked but tried to stay away. He got into other sports as well as baseball and did pretty well. I supported him in all of them, even the ones that I didn't care for and offered what I could, lessons or reading up on the skills. Eventually, he came to us and told us he wanted to concentrate on baseball, he felt it was his best sport and that he thought he had a chance if he worked at it. He really did buckle down and it paid off for him as he will now play D1 after graduation. I'm convinced of two things. If I had remained hands on, he would no longer being playing baseball and two, if he didn't make his own choice to do this, nothing I could have done could have pushed him this way. If I said focus on baseball, he would have wanted football. He had to grow up enough on his own to see what was his best skill set and decide if it was something he really wanted. All the parental wishing and hoping and prodding wouldn't have done anything but antagonize until he figured out what was HIS dream.
Perspective is the word. It helped us a great deal. Thanks for the story and response.
quote:Originally posted by fillsfan:
Rob, I felt the exact same way. Is this a joke or a hoax? High fastball hitting 7 yo. Wow!! "Go fence" at 7? Double Wow!!!
But once again the HSBBW comes to the rescue of a parent in need. Advice given without disdain. We all know the parent we would love to tell to just sit down, shut up and relax because if you don't you are doing more harm than good. DP was just told those things in a tactful and respectful way by parents who have seen it all.
Super Website to the rescue again.
It was no joke. I am better off for finding this site. Look forward to mixing it up again.
quote:Originally posted by RJM:
A friend who had problems with his son sucks on lollipops during the game. He figures by the time he pulls the lollipop out of his mouth his brain will have caught up with his mouth.
I've always described the aging process as an ever growing pause between thought and verbalization. That's why, when I act childish, it's that lack of pause...
Good stuff RJM, I'm gonna try it.
quote:Originally posted by DP:
Junior had a great game last night. After the game, he had a snowcone and a corndog and everyone went home happy.
When it's all working right for you, junior will have had a great game after an ofer with a snowcone and corndog, and everyone went home happy.
Best of luck.
quote:Originally posted by CPLZ:quote:Originally posted by RJM:
A friend who had problems with his son sucks on lollipops during the game. He figures by the time he pulls the lollipop out of his mouth his brain will have caught up with his mouth.
I've always described the aging process as an ever growing pause between thought and verbalization. That's why, when I act childish, it's that lack of pause...quote:Originally posted by DP:
Junior had a great game last night. After the game, he had a snowcone and a corndog and everyone went home happy.
When it's all working right for you, junior will have had a great game after an ofer with a snowcone and corndog, and everyone went home happy.
Best of luck.
Good stuff RJM, I'm gonna try it.
No, when it is all working right, we get to play baseball. What more could a Son and Father possibly ask for? Thanks! Good Luck!
quote:Originally posted by itsinthegame:
The poster could be putting us on - but then again - he may not be. I am sure we all know many parents that felt the way this poster did. Some will express it openly - and some wont.
None of that really matters though.
Eventually - either nicely or very harshly - the parent will come to realize that the only thing that really matters is helping your son or daughter find something that they love to do - and as a result are willing to expend 100% effort all the time doing it.
And when that love diminishes - or disappears - its time for them to find something else to do.
Even harsher is the realization that 100% effort - all the time - is just a prerequisite. Just a pass into the club.
It still doesnt guarantee anything - other than a validation of your character.
But that validation may be the most important lesson of all - IMO.
I'm a real person. Nice to meet you.
Thanks for the words.
In the end, you make too much about a 7yr old tballer and he'll quit before he gets to kid-pitch. At 7, my kid was in his first yr of tball and one of his bifggest accomplishments was learning which way to run after the ball is hit. He ran to 3B the first time. At 10, he made his first all-star team, hit the cover off the ball in his first few tournaments, then all of a sudden, he vaporlocked and just stopped swinging the bat. He went fromt he #3 hitter to the bench. What kept him playing was he still played good in the field. It was the most frustrating thing to watch because he was a very good hitter at the time. I was at a loss and so was his coaches. However, we tried to just let him relax and figure it will pass. We even suggested he swing at evrything just to get comfortable swinging again. The swing at everything approach seemed to work and in the short run since it got him swinging again by the end of the all-star season. He even got to where he got more selective again but was a bit away from getting back to his aggressive approach. He put the bat and glove down for the rest of the year and by next spring he was back to his usual self. In the end, looking back, I think he just saw better pitching and pitches that looked like balls were called strikes. One he stated getting called out on strikes, it must've got in his head then the wheels came off.
As for keeping all those stats like not striking out for 2 yrs straight and everybody remembering it, forget about it. It don't matter. As they get older and the higher levels they move up to, they'll experience more failure in the game. That's the way it goes.
On a side note, my son comitted only one error over the last two years on his HS team and is currently the last player to get four hits in a conference tournament game( graduated 2 yrs ago) but I'll bet I'm the only one who would even know that.
Don't go crazy over those stats. Especially at that age. It's more important they have fun and learn as they go.
As for keeping all those stats like not striking out for 2 yrs straight and everybody remembering it, forget about it. It don't matter. As they get older and the higher levels they move up to, they'll experience more failure in the game. That's the way it goes.
On a side note, my son comitted only one error over the last two years on his HS team and is currently the last player to get four hits in a conference tournament game( graduated 2 yrs ago) but I'll bet I'm the only one who would even know that.
Don't go crazy over those stats. Especially at that age. It's more important they have fun and learn as they go.
quote:Originally posted by zombywoof:
In the end, you make too much about sa 7yr old tballer and he'll quit before he gets to kid-pitch. At 7, my kid was in his first yr of tball and one of his bifggest accomplishments was learning which way to run after the ball is hit. He ran to 3B the first time. At 10, he made his first all-star team, hit the cover off the ball in his first few tournaments, then all of a sudden, he vaporlocked and just stopped swinging the bat. He went fromthe #3 hitter to the bench. What kept him playing was he still played good in the field. It was the most frustrating thing to watch because he was a very good hitter at the time. I was at a loss and so was his coaches. However, we tried to just let him relax and figure it will pass. We even suggested he swing at evrything just to get comfortable swinging again. The swing at everything approach seemed to work and in the short run since it got him swinging again by the end of the all-star season. He even got to where he got more selective again but was a bit away from getting back to his aggressive approach. He put the bat and glove down for the rest of the year and by next spring he was back to his usual self. In the end, looking ack, I think he just saw better pitching and pitches that looked like balls were called strikes. One he stated getting called out on strikes, it must've got un his head then the wheels came off.
As for keeping all those stats like not striking out for 2 yrs straight and everybody remembering it, forget about it. It don't matter. As they get older and the higher levels they move up to, they'll experience more failure in the game. That's the way it goes.
On a side note, my son comitted only one error over the last two years on his HS team and is currently the last player to get four hits in a conference tournament game( graduated 2 yrs ago) but I'll bet I'm the only one who would even know that.
Don't go crazy over those stats. Especially at that age. It's more important they have fun and learn as they go.
We don't play t-ball, we play 44 mph machine pitch. We've always had fun and did last night. This happened ONE TIME. It's a done deal. We're on to corndogs and Chuck E Cheese. Thanks for chiming in with your sons story. He must of been an excellent defensive player. One meltdown isn't going to make us weaker, it has made us stronger. We have learned a lesson and moved on. Thanks for responding.
Actually, I think if you were really listening, you would question why your seven-year-old is playing in a fall baseball league to begin with, let alone a league where everybody knows your son's stats.
Its not about the corndogs as much as it is about the obsession to fix a 7 year old. In one post you're saying you understand and will change, then in the next post your thanking someone for the hitting tips and saying he had a great game last night.
Its not about the corndogs as much as it is about the obsession to fix a 7 year old. In one post you're saying you understand and will change, then in the next post your thanking someone for the hitting tips and saying he had a great game last night.
quote:Originally posted by DP:
[QUOT
We don't play t-ball, we play 44 mph machine pitch. We've always had fun and did last night. This happened ONE TIME. It's a done deal. We're on to corndogs and Chuck E Cheese. Thanks for chiming in with your sons story. He must of been an excellent defensive player. One meltdown isn't going to make us weaker, it has made us stronger. We have learned a lesson and moved on. Thanks for responding.
Yep..my error. When my kid played at that age, we had no machine pitch, it was t-ball with the second year combine coach pitching and tball for the ones who weren't ready to face live pitching yet. Well, you get what I mean.
Anyway, just let him have fun and continue to get better each year. The less pressure put on them, the more they'll want to play and that'll be the opportunity to teach and help improve his game.
We all learn from experiences.
When my kid was 7, there were no boards like this to come to to get all the information and share experiences with others who been thru it before.
quote:Originally posted by zombywoof:quote:Originally posted by DP:
[QUOT
We don't play t-ball, we play 44 mph machine pitch. We've always had fun and did last night. This happened ONE TIME. It's a done deal. We're on to corndogs and Chuck E Cheese. Thanks for chiming in with your sons story. He must of been an excellent defensive player. One meltdown isn't going to make us weaker, it has made us stronger. We have learned a lesson and moved on. Thanks for responding.
Yep..my error. When my kid played at that age, we had no machine pitch, it was t-ball with the second year combine coach pitching and tball for the ones who weren't ready to face live pitching yet. Well, you get what I mean.
Anyway, just let him have fun and continue to get better each year. The less pressure put on them, the more they'll want to play and that'll be the opportunity to teach and help improve his game.
We all learn from experiences.
When my kid was 7, there were no boards like this to come to to get all the information and share experiences with others who been thru it before.
Gotcha. You're right. I'm with you on the pressure play. I really like this board and all the posters that have chimed in, even the nasty posters have been helpful. My dad didn't have this board to come to when I was young either. I sure am glad I found people that are as crazy about ball as I am. When I was 7, I was the pitcher, we had no pitching machines. One of my coaches had a tire with a cement insert and steal arm that threw us pitches. I wonder if these were common 35-40 years ago?
quote:Originally posted by Blprkfrnks:
Actually, I think if you were really listening, you would question why your seven-year-old is playing in a fall baseball league to begin with, let alone a league where everybody knows your son's stats.
Its not about the corndogs as much as it is about the obsession to fix a 7 year old. In one post you're saying you understand and will change, then in the next post your thanking someone for the hitting tips and saying he had a great game last night.
I kind of picked up on that too, I never heard of leagues having fall ball for 7-8 year olds. Is this something new going on these days?
I also never heard of going fence (that means they hit it to the fence) and a couple of other expressions, I must be getting old.
Mine also was playing tball at 7 and who really cared how he hit, it was fun, and kids cried, but eventually they grow up and the cream rose to the top.
I agree talking about a 7 year old hitting streak being over and trying to fix things borders on obsession.
Is that being nasty?