T-ball time

It was another "sign-up" day.  One of the tasks of a stay-at-home parent that I've discovered involves the  never ending "sign-up" duties.  It's Thursday - that must mean it's T-ball sign up time.  As a note of reference for anyone reading this who might not have kids.  What "sign-up" really means is - have your credit card ready.

Have I told you how much I hate baseball - and always have?  Of course I played Little League as a kid - as every kid of my era in South Texas did.  We didn't have T-ball - and we didn't have soccer.  Caden started in a soccer program when he was 2 - yes 2.   We believe in introducing Caden to all sorts of activities - and letting him decide which ones are of interest.

Anyway - back to that point of me hating baseball.  My dad was a very active coach in our Little League program.  That made it even harder for me to say I didn't want to do it.  Everyone did it.  I wonder now how many of the other 9 year old boys just didn't want to play baseball but were also afraid to dare say the words.  It was easy to say I didn't want to play football.  I was scrawny.  No - that's being generous.  I'm surprised the State of Texas didn't intervene and ask my parents to prove that they fed me.  Funny thing - I really liked football - and still do.  Baseball is too slow and painful to watch.  I'm talking real slow.  I have a friend who is a very successful high school baseball coach in Texas.  Sorry - Don.  It's my blog - thus my opinions.

Kids today have so many choices.  I think that same town I grew up in has soccer now.  Lucky kids - not much wasted time in soccer.  It's probably so easy now for a kid to say- "I'm not going to play baseball this year - I'm doing soccer instead. ".  No hesitation in their voice - no shame at what the peers might think.  I remember being a sophomore in high school and an older football player in my school decided he didn't want to play football the following year.  It was all kids talked about at school for weeks.  Why would he quit.  I heard that coaches called him and tried to get him back.  I had assumed that he had some type of injury that wasn't being discussed and decided since he was in my Health class that I could ask him about his condition.  (It was a Health class after all.)  I took my scrawny self up to him and simply asked why he wasn't going to play football.  He very calmly stated - "I just don't care for it".  Wow!  I had never heard such honesty from a high schooler.  Remember - this was in Texas.  My high school ruled Texas football.  We had been state champs the two previous years and would eventually end up in the state final the following year.  Now I knew why other football players were shunning him.  He was telling his truth - and it didn't coincide with what they wanted the truth to be.  High school kids and many adults don't always want to hear the truth.

So Caden- if you start playing T-ball and honestly don't like it...please tell me.  I won't shun you.