No Pressure!
I was driving home from Ben’s baseball practice on Tuesday night and my phone rang. It was my dad. Weird. My dad never calls me. He’s more of a quick text type of guy. Don’t get me wrong, I have a great relationship with my dad. Always have. We just don’t talk on the phone that much. So, I knew when the phone rang that what he was going to say must be important.
“Don’t put too much pressure on Ben this season.”
I don’t think it comes a surprise to anyone who reads this blog that I’m a competitive person. I blame (thank?) my dad. He is the most competitive person I know. He once threw out his arm playing Wii Bowling. I’m serious. I’m sure he doesn’t remember that. All he remembers is beating me that night. My dad might be a fierce competitor but he never put pressure on me as an athlete. Did he build a mound in the backyard for me? He sure did. But I asked for the mound. I wanted to be the best. He wasn’t vicariously living through me. He wasn’t making me do 100 burpees after a bad game. He was playing the role of encouraging dad. My biggest fan and my biggest supporter. Just like how I am with Ben.
Ladies and gents - your 1995 GHS varsity softball MVP! So proud to stand next to my biggest fan, my dad!
This is Ben’s first year of legit Little League. He isn’t the fastest kid on the team. He doesn’t have the best arm and he certainly won’t be hitting any dingers this season. As a former softball superstar, it’s been so hard for me to keep my mouth shut watching him at practice. Sometimes it’s almost impossible.
“Eyes on the batter!”
“HUSTLE!”
“Point to your target!”
I get it. He is there to have fun, learn the fundamentals, bond with his teammates and learn so many other important things that come along with playing team sports. But doesn’t every parent want their child to be the best one on the field? We all know how exciting it is to watch our child excel at something and we all know how frustrating it can be to watch our child get discouraged or even worse - stop trying.
Hey look! He's pointing to the target! Win for Mom!
Something clicked after I got off the phone with my dad. I realized that I was slowly turning into one of those parents that puts too much pressure on their child. Ben isn’t me. He will develop at his own speed. There are no college scholarships handed out in Little League. Hell – he will be lucky to even play at a collegiate level. (That’s not me being negative – it’s just a fact.) No surprise that my dad was right. Ben is just a kid and it’s just a game.
