I have watched my daughter and son play many softball and baseball games this summer. I love them and enjoy watching them play, but I wonder how we have ever taught toughness, or do we? I hear often that they are 6 year olds, or 9 year olds, let them have fun and it isn't that big of a deal. I agree, in the grand scheme of things, it isn't that big of a deal. However, if we are going to play the game, if we are going to keep score, then we need to participate to win.
They are just little kids, but so are the teams that have been kicking their butts. My goal is to make my kids tough, mentally tough, but they need to play on teams that are tough too. Life is hard, we have to be tough.
New school year is about to begin with me at a new school. I am at Silver Creek HS where I coached last year, but now full time, every day. I am leaving a school, Henryville, that I have taught at, attended or coached at for 31 of my 44 years. There is a little bit of sadness compounded with much excitement as the school year begins in the next couple of days. It is exciting to be around the players and coaches that I work with every day to try and grow this already successful program.
Finally, you ever feel like you are a bad parent? Yea, me too. So often my kids do not behave with my wife and I, but they are well behaved with others. I guess if I had a choice, that's how I would take it. But man...this parenting thing is hard, and I feel like I am in quicksand....a lot.
