Here I go again...

I am not very good at blogging. I mainly wanted to start a blog so my extended family could keep up with my crew. I haven't posted anything since Monday. This has been a busy week, but what week isn't. We will be slammed until Addison graduates High School. So I can't look for any rest for another 16 years. By then I will be grandmother. 

This week was baseball drafts. Mike is coaching two team. He is coaching Brady in mustang-which is kid pitch, and he is coaching Colby in Colt. Colt is so cute. They have no umpires, they all get to hit and run the bases. No outs. The spirit of these  little guys is so sweet. They are totally unaware that next year they face some hard realities in rec ball. Once they get to the Shetland league everything gets so competitive. It truly blows my mind how some of these parents act.  I guess I can sit back and shake my head because I have been there and done that as well. Lived it Learned it. 

Daulton started playing baseball at 4. At the time there was not a colt league, you had to play shetland. When he was 2 I signed his sister up to play softball and he use to cry to get on the field. He loved it. Still does. Daulton cried the very first time he went out to practice because the coach made him wear a helmet to bat. He was devastated. That point on he was fine. He has now played for 9 1/2 years. It has always been something that he wanted to do. We never pushed him. He made his first all-star team when he was 5 and has played competitively ever since. He is actually a natural. What drives me crazy about him is he has no drive. Yes, he loves it, but he is so laid back I have to put a fire under his fanny to get him moving. Daulton lacks heart. His big sister and little brother have so much heart when they play, and yet they struggle  athletically. Daulton has never had to struggle in that way. If he would just play with some heart he would be phenom able. Looking back though, I don't remember us as a family trying to keep up with the Jones' as far as our children were concern. Either they wanted to play something or not. We never forced them, Well one time, I lied and told Daulton that I signed him up for basketball just to test the water to see his reaction. His brother and sister were playing and he always played with them in the driveway. He cried the first night, then the next day he said " Well, you are going to have to buy me some shoes."  After that he is crazy about the sport. I actually think he loves it more than baseball. But other than that one time, we have never tried to out do other people when it comes to our children and sports ( or anything else for that matter) So I am amazed at how many people want to live through their children at such a young age. I firmly believe that if you push a child to much he will regret it.

If Mike was trying to live through our boys, he would have pushed them to play football, his first love. This year Brady has decided to play football in the fall-something that he wants to do.

I guess being the mother of so many children, and the various ages that they are, I can look and see that we need to savor every moment of their childhood. Not to let winning be the most important thing. Mike tells the parents of the kids that he coaches, it is not about how much you know about the sport and it is not about winning. What your child will remember the most, is that dad would practice ball with me, and that dad was encouraging during the time that I played. 

I want my children to remember me as their biggest fan not their sorest looser. 

This shall be an exciting season, we have all three boys playing. Can't wait until July...

"Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged." Colossians 3:21

-pg