What does softball teach us...

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obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
Cannonball- cool story, she sounds like quite a kid. Hope she heals fast! I know what you mean about not bragging- they're good stories but if there were parents of other kids in her league listening they would sluff it off as bragging.
My DD had couple of nice stories that I shared with people online or people at work who don't have kids in our town. At the games and around other parents my wife and I keep quiet and let the parents of the "real stars" tell us how it is. Some of the egos are unbelievable (both kids and parents).
 
May 7, 2008
235
0
I am blessed that my children are driven by passion in a sport I happen to love. When they were young, I would ask them in numerous ways why they were playing with an occassional reminder of my love for the Yankees. The Yanks have filled 'my need' for the love of this game, and they will take me through the rest of my years. I do not 'need' my children to fill that need, but I want to see them pursue their hopes and dreams. I don't have to question them anymore. I sense their assurance of our support of whatever endeavor they pursue. My son tends to be a more well-rounded athlete. At the end of each season, he welcomes a new sport. My daughter on the other hand would play softball 12 months instead of 8 if she could.

We have taken a lot of heat from our extended families and others who do not understand the life of sport families. Observations such as "our life is out of balance," or "what about church," or "doesn't your non-athlete suffer," or "what about the cost" are all common questions. I am not sure how effectively I answered them until my oldest, non-athletic child got her license. I can now confidently answer (in addition to the skill of the athlete, confidence building, teamwork, etc.), as a family, we have built family (unified) memories. We are outdoors. We are in supportive roles. My oldest has developed her love of sports photography (no pun intended :). The children are getting physical activity (at softball fields, my son always finds a football game). My oldest, who could now choose to be elsewhere, is still electing to be with us at the ballpark. It has been a very healthy choice. Does it get hectic...yes, especially during school ball and because my husband coaches. Would we trade it...heck no!
 
Aug 8, 2011
9
0
Softball teaches our daughters about life. I told my daughter that she can never be complacent about her position because someone else always wants to take it away from her. This lesson (sad but true) applies to your entire life. Better learned now than later. Softball teaches our daughters how to collaborate. Collaboration is the skill of the future, the business world requires teamwork skills today and even more in the future. Teams of people from all over the world work together on projects over internet connections etc. Your daughter will unwittingly acquire these business skills. She will be one step ahead in life while having fun getting there. Softball teaches our daughters good behavior, sportsmanship, and what it takes to win. No barbie dolls for these girls! It gives my DD a postivie outlet for her naturally competitive nature. It teaches them to anticipate the next move to think ahead of the play and be able to react immediately without hesitation. Good skills for that future CEO. It gets them out of the house and allows us Dads to solidify the relationship with our girls. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of joy I get watching them in practice or at games. As a matter of fact if someone told me 10 years ago that I would be following my daughter watching softball every weekend I would have said, "what are you nuts"? But I love every minute!
 
Sep 17, 2009
1,637
83
My DD is off to college in a month. She decided not to play softball there, even though she had an opportunity to do so. She wanted to pursue school and the "rest of her life." It was her decision, and I'm very proud of her. She started with t-ball, began travel as a 10U, did both "town" travel and "exposure" travel, played four years of varsity ball (at a smaller, though competitive school)

Softball gave us a way as a father and daughter and as a family to spend a LOT of time together as well as with people we (mostly : >) really liked being with. I learned that teammates' families, even though we spend SO much time with them, in the end are acquaintances and not really "family." Enjoy all your softball friends, but what matters is your REAL family, your spouse, kids, extended family like grandparents etc. and all the time you get to spend together via softball and all the memories you'll have.

Or maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic today : >

All of the other posts above, about lessons learned and character built, etc....I agree with 100%. Luckily I have an 8th grade DD to continue this journey with me one more time!
 
F

floyd84s

Guest
I like softball,softball can teach me so much
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Nov 26, 2010
4,784
113
Michigan
My DD has learned that a $60 bat swung well will outperform a $300 bat swung poorly. A $60 glove that is practiced with works better then a $250 glove that is used sparingly. A pitcher who takes no lessons but works her tail off in the barn will do better then the girl who takes a lesson every week and never practices.

All the rest she has learned equally from volleyball, basketball, track and soccer. Oh yeah and she learned that a kid can do more then one sport (and play in the band) and do very well at all of them.
 
Mar 3, 2011
79
0
Ohio
Softball (other sports as well) gave my DD's a focus in their high school years in particular. And by focus, I don't mean working on skills, working through slumps, and all of that stuff that others have mentioned. Don't get me wrong because it certainly did teach them those lessons and I am grateful. But it gave them a focus in their lives at a time where the world gets chaotic. My DD's did not get involved in drugs, alcohol, sex, gangs, porn, sexting, and all the other crap teens have to deal with. They didn't because they didn't want to loose opportunities with their sports.

It really hit home when my youngest DD before her sophomore year in high school got a envelope in the mail from a small college from the softball coach asking her to play softball for him. And this was a national championship program at their level. DD isn't going to jeopardize opportunities like that.

In some respects, it made my job as a parent a little easier.
 

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