Tonight was Mason's first baseball game. Due to some unexpected travel and bad weather, the team only practiced about 2 hours over the last couple of weeks before tonight.
You could tell a few of the boys on each team had played before. They knew how to catch 'hard thrown' or 'hard hit' balls...they knew how to bat...they knew which bases were first..second..third...they knew where left and right field were...they knew how many outs there were...
Then there were the other boys...most of them...who didn't know any of the above...who were interested in the bird that flew overhead...interested in the bigger boys practicing in the nearby hitting cage...or wanted to pull their shirt tales out so they could tuck them back in...
Mason was in the latter category.
His grandfather...meanwhile...paced...trying to get his grandson to keep his focus on the game...to get in front of the ball...to stand at the plate properly when batting...
But papaw needs to remember... 'Mason is 8 years old'. It doesn't have to be win...win...win. It doesn't have to be perfect. Not yet. Let him have some fun papaw. The rest will come.
He's only 8 years old. Did I know all those things when I was 8? No!
Sit back...relax...let him learn...let it be fun for him.
Enjoy it while you can. It will 'too soon' be gone.
Dan
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Ditto
ReplyDeleteThere's this story in one of the several James Herriot (the Yorkshire vet) books where he tells of his son's first piano recital. The little boy gets stuck at the same point in his piece about 10 times, each restart more agonizing and embarassing to the parents. He finally gets it right and finishes the piece with a fluorish. The parents are wrung out and exhausted in the car on the way home. The little boy sighs and snuggles back in the seat and says, "Isn't music relaxing?"
ReplyDeleteI remind myself of this each time I've watch my kids 'perform' in anything. They are fine, I'm the one with the problem : )