Baseball mom

Like most families, we are overscheduled and crazed and that means that I’m crazed. Work, work, work. Drive, drive, drive, Shop, shop, shop. Cook, cook, cook. I feel like a hamster on a wheel sometimes. Then there’s baseball and I have no choice but to take a breath. You can’t beat sitting outside on a beautiful day watching your kids play a game that is both leisurely and exciting.

This is only surprising because I was never a baseball fan or a fan of any sport at all. I was always razzed for my friends for once bringing a book to a Yankees game. But now that I have two boys in Little League and my husband coaching, I’ve become a baseball mom.

I have the baseball hat and I have the folding chair. I yell encouragement to the team and hardly ever get the wrong team. I always found it hard to watch my kids strike out when the bases were loaded and I still do. It’s a lot of pressure on them and somehow it feels like a lot of pressure on me too, although my total role consists of bringing water or Gatorade and root for the team.

But I’ve learned that it really doesn’t matter as long as they’re not discouraged. Our team this year has won only three out of a dozen or so games but they’ve gotten steadily better and they’re happy. So we’re happy. I told my husband, the coach, that if he weren’t discouraged the kids wouldn’t be either. Strangely enough, it turned out to be true.

There are coaches who yell at their teams and don’t give the weaker players much chance to bat or play the game. That’s fine for the Major Leagues but for Little League, it’s just plain wrong. Sure, those coaches win a lot of games but it doesn’t teach the kids (or the parents) to love the game.

Mind you, there are downsides to having your husband coach. The kids are out practicing long after they should be home eating dinner and doing homework. It’s been hard for my older son to keep up with his homework and his piano. But at least I can tell the coach exactly how I feel about it.

Now it seems a lot of kids aren’t playing baseball. They have soccer and lacrosse and an array of other activities. That’s fine. My kids weren't the best soccer players and I wasn’t a very good soccer mom. I hadn’t yet learned that it’s OK if your kids are out there picking daisies on the field as long as they’re enjoying themselves.

Now it’s all about having fun. I’ve learned that baseball is actually an intricate and complex game. I still don’t know what the infield fly rule is and frankly, I really don’t want anyone to try explaining it to me. I just want to sit in my chair and cheer the team on and have an idyllic time out. So take me out to the ballgame. I promise not to bring a book.