When we signed Alex up for baseball, I thought that being a baseball mom meant getting a killer tan in the bleachers while cheering on the little guy, but when the coach asked for volunteers at the first practice and no one really raised their hands, I couldn’t say no. At the first game, the coach handed me the score book and I became the team mom. I got the kids out on the field, put on their helmets, helped find their gloves and hats under the benches and learned some interesting lessons along the way.
- Don’t complain about the cold days because soon it will get so hot that you will feel like you’re melting on the field. When we started playing it was downright COLD some days, but within a few weeks it was blazing hot and we were all looking for a shady spot to hide. Enjoy the cool weather while it lasts, because it doesn’t last.
- If it’s not labeled it will get lost. Even if it is labeled it will get lost. After every game there was a group text to figure out who left behind their jacket/hat/glove/bat/etc.
- When you’re six years old, being the catcher is the coolest thing. I had to keep a running list in my head of who wants to be catcher next. When you’re only playing 4-5 innings per game and all 12 kids want to be catcher, it gets tough to remember who got to catch already.
- A good coach makes all the difference. Our team had an amazing coach. He was patient and saw the potential in each child. He never yelled and really brought out the best in each kiddo. I hope hope hope that he will coach again next year.
- Don’t wear flip flops. Ever. Once it started getting warm, I traded in my my sneakers for flip flop. Worst idea ever. I got my toes stepped on by cleats at least three times that game and I learned my lesson quickly.
- Make sure you don’t stand too close the the batter on deck. I stepped out of the dugout a few time to a bat to the stomach or back. Watch out for the kiddos who are warming up.
- Buy extra pairs of baseball pants. With two games plus practice each week, I found myself rushing to quick wash Alex’s baseball pants because they were always dirty.
- Be ready to eat a lot of take out. Weekday games were at 5:30. We were rushing to finish homework, and get out the door and our meal planning went out the window. Instead, we would pick up pizza or Chinese on the way home and make everyone happy, including me since I didn’t have to cook.
- The progress the kids make is amazing. For most of the kids on our team, it was their first time playing. The first few games and practices were comical to put it lightly, but the progress they made by the last game was amazing. During the last game, we went through the whole lineup in one inning because each of them hit the ball and made it to base within two pitches.
- And it makes waking up on Saturday mornings worth it. Even though the extra hour or two of sleep would’ve been amazing, getting up early to see the kids play was totally worth it.
We can’t wait until next season!
I love this so much. This summer was our first ever doing swim team. And with a few obvious changes 🙂 there are no catchers in swim team 🙂 I learned so much of the same stuff’s
Carla recently posted..It is what it is.
Thanks! It\’s crazy how you never stop learning as a parent!
Awesome insight! I can totally relate from coaching my daughters basketball team and being a spectator. The coach makes all the difference and seeing them grow throughout the season is priceless.
At our first game, we played the \”best team\” in our league and their coach was simply not nice. He was putting so much pressure on the kids to win, that he really took the fun out of it all. I loved our coach – even if the kids were way off, he knew how to redirect and encourage them and the results after the season were amazing!