Of Mice and Moms

Tyler has been playing sports for about five years now. Over these years I have seen parents that are absolutely bat shit crazy...literally. I never knew the politics that go into youth sports. How moms and dads truly think their kid is the best and they will do whatever they have to do to make sure their kid is where they think they need to be.

Baseball. An All American Sport. My son has played it for four years. He is pretty good at it. I don't say that because I am his mother and I am allowed to brag. I say that because he is actually really good at it. This season he finally had a coach that let him play a different position. A coach that didn't choose his kid over mine because he was his kid. That is the downfall of having coaches with kids on the team. It doesn't matter if their kid is good or not. The fathers live through their children and play them where they wish they would have played when they were younger. I just don't get it.

A lot of the parents are pushing their kids to start pitching at nine years old. Seriously? I don't want my kid pitching. I don't want my kid to blow out his shoulder before he ever has a chance to play a "real" game of baseball. High School and college are where it is important. I have heard stories of twelve year olds already seeing an Orthopedic Surgeon. TWELVE YEAR OLDS. That is insane to me.

The pressure that these parent put on their babies is ridiculous to me. It's not about where they play now. The position now isn't important. What is important is that they experience different positions. Different experiences. Learn new things. So that when they do go to college and beyond, they still have a chance to use what they learned and become great at it.

The political aspect of youth sports is one thing that would make you just want to quit all together as well. Friends of coaches kids get the best spots too. Even if they totally suck at it. And I hate to say a kid sucks at something. But, lets be honest...just like with adults, there are just some things that one person can do better over another. That is just how it is. We all individually have our own strengths and weaknesses. God made us that way for a reason.

I'm not even sure I have a point to all of this. I'm just frustrated with a lot of things when it comes to stuff like this. I just wanted to bitch about it. Mission accomplished.