Having athletic kids is very strange to me.
Remember that kid who was always the last one chosen, and when one team got him, the other team would laugh at them for getting stuck with the clumsy kid? I was that kid.
Not that I couldn't be competitive. I was on the chess and debate teams in HS, and won some trophies along the way. I played competitive backgammon for a while, and was about a level or two below world class. Anyone else here ever take on a former world champion head-to-head and won? I have (admittedly on my 5th try, but I beat quite a number of famous backgammon players back in the day. I remember meeting, then beating, a famous player, and telling him I had an unfair advantage because I had read all his books.)
So, how is it that at least some of my kids are athletic? My oldest, DS, once won a gold medal at the Midwest Junior Rowing Championship, and will row in college. DD #1 was a very talented softball player (until she quit), and all her coaches said she was the fastest base runner they had ever coached. She went from 12u rec ball to 16u TB in less than a year. DD #2 is more like her father, but might be good at track. DD #3 is a very talented player, and a very hard worker. She has a bright future in softball.
This is just too strange for me to deal with sometimes. Other fathers can do a lot more to help their DDs. When DD was 10u, she was embarrassed about how bad I was at trying to catch her during pitching practices. All the other dads, even fathers of HS students, would sit on their buckets and catch everything their daughters threw. By the time she was 11u, I couldn't catch her at all. Sometimes she will let me catch her, as long as I wear a mask. She once hit me in the face while warming up.
I once read an article that claimed athletic kids of klutzes have an advantage, because their parents always think the kid is great. I call BS on that. There are just so many things other parents can do to help their kids that I cannot do.
If there are any other klutzes out there, how do you deal with it? The coaches are very understanding of me, and supportive of that rare klutz with athletic kids who just can't help out as much.
Remember that kid who was always the last one chosen, and when one team got him, the other team would laugh at them for getting stuck with the clumsy kid? I was that kid.
Not that I couldn't be competitive. I was on the chess and debate teams in HS, and won some trophies along the way. I played competitive backgammon for a while, and was about a level or two below world class. Anyone else here ever take on a former world champion head-to-head and won? I have (admittedly on my 5th try, but I beat quite a number of famous backgammon players back in the day. I remember meeting, then beating, a famous player, and telling him I had an unfair advantage because I had read all his books.)
So, how is it that at least some of my kids are athletic? My oldest, DS, once won a gold medal at the Midwest Junior Rowing Championship, and will row in college. DD #1 was a very talented softball player (until she quit), and all her coaches said she was the fastest base runner they had ever coached. She went from 12u rec ball to 16u TB in less than a year. DD #2 is more like her father, but might be good at track. DD #3 is a very talented player, and a very hard worker. She has a bright future in softball.
This is just too strange for me to deal with sometimes. Other fathers can do a lot more to help their DDs. When DD was 10u, she was embarrassed about how bad I was at trying to catch her during pitching practices. All the other dads, even fathers of HS students, would sit on their buckets and catch everything their daughters threw. By the time she was 11u, I couldn't catch her at all. Sometimes she will let me catch her, as long as I wear a mask. She once hit me in the face while warming up.
I once read an article that claimed athletic kids of klutzes have an advantage, because their parents always think the kid is great. I call BS on that. There are just so many things other parents can do to help their kids that I cannot do.
If there are any other klutzes out there, how do you deal with it? The coaches are very understanding of me, and supportive of that rare klutz with athletic kids who just can't help out as much.
I got a fat lip from catching for my dd; fired from that job. She even makes fun of the way I throw, and has politely suggested that I could benefit from using her spinner!
