Baseball
We were thrilled to discover there is a Little League team in our tiny town this year. I’d been wishing for a way to get the boys involved in something more active since we homeschool; but wasn’t willing to look at a long drive on top of a super busy season. But ten minutes from our house for practice and home games? Cha ching! It’s been such a good experience for them to get to play on a team. I’m sure that’s a good thing for everyone, but with where we live, it’s even more important. At first when camp was small they were sometimes allowed to play with staff games. It wasn’t ideal because they were always up and against adults, but at least they got a little bit of practice in. More and more since camp is growing and other people from the community are invited, they tend to get sidelined instead of allowed to play which means they get almost no chance at organized sports. It was so GOOD to see them be able to play a game consistently enough to hone skills and to do it with kids their own size. They’re learning a lot of discipline and team dynamics and having fun doing it.
I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting. I know I was hoping the boys would have fun and that they’d get along well with their coaches and team mates. I think I also hoped I wouldn’t get frustrated with the crazy schedule and that I wouldn’t get too bored. 😉 I had no idea I’d actually like it so much. Is it crazy? Yes. With two boys on two different teams we’ve had up to eight practice / games in one week. Our evenings and some Saturdays are almost exclusively devoted to getting out the door and heading to a game. But it’s just a season and it’s a short one. The two things that surprised me most was that it it’s so much fun to watch them play! It’s always disappointing when their games happen on the same night and we have to miss out on one child’s game. The other thing that’s been so much fun is getting to know a few parents in the community. I feel like I’m making friends, not just attending baseball games, which has been a really perk in my sometimes isolated world. Sometimes I think it’s a study in human dynamics and diversity, but mostly it’s about friendship. 😉
Oh, and of course, the nachos. Can’t forget the nachos. Pretty sure there is a direct order line for in utero service and the order is always the same. Nachos with plenty of cheese, please. I took a little tumble last night and didn’t think it was anything to worry about, but the midwife insisted on an ultrasound today to rule out placental abruption. Everything looked great and baby is measuring a little above average. I think we’ll just plan on not needing too many newborn size diapers and blame it on the nachos.
Adam has been playing first base and catcher and loving it! Sports aren’t his first love. He likes playing with friends, but tends to gravitate toward a book or fishing in his free time. He wanted to sign up, but was lacking the exuberance that nearly had Liam bouncing off the walls. It was really fun to see him get more and more excited about it after a few practices. One of his coaches told him he’s really good. He thinks he could go on into the majors (Oh, the nice things coaches say. Adam is very average.) Adam said, “Nah, I’d rather do construction.” 🙂
Liam plays third base. He’s loving baseball, but dreams a lot about soccer. It’s so interesting to see how kids grow up in the same family with such unique interests. Adam was obsessed with trucks growing up; Liam mostly played with them to be with Adam. Adam is passionate about reading, but will sometimes opt to play some kind of ball with Liam. Liam has wings in his feet and springs in his arms. He is constantly dribbling a ball in the house and shooting imaginary hoops. If Adam won’t play with him, he’ll practice soccer moves on his own. He often asks to go running and will run for up to thirty minutes … on the road if he’s allowed or around the perimeter of the property if he’s not. He’s fast, agile, and has amazing endurance. The other day Adam and Liam both decided to run a mile and a half and it was Liam who would wait on Adam to catch up and then finally dashed on home. You can almost feel his happiness when he gets to speed around the bases.
Liam’s team is significantly weaker than most of the teams they play against. While a lot of moms say their kids don’t care, Liam was pretty disappointed. They’ve been losing left and right, sometimes by a margin of 15-20 points. It’s given us a lot of chances to talk about loss and about doing your best. Even more, we talked a lot about personal growth and how sometimes that’s just as important to think about as team growth. He’s learned a lot this season. He’s always been good at catching and throwing, but he’s getting more consistent with batting and he’s learning a lot about baseball plays. Somehow, I think he’s learning important things about life he doesn’t even realize. Sometimes I wish his mom absorbed life lessons as easily as he does.
Hats off to Little League coaches (and support staff) who spend hours behind the scenes who volunteer their time to encourage kids and help them learn to give it everything they’ve got.