What if I Don’t Like Baseball?

What if I Don’t Like Baseball?
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So you don’t like baseball. Wait…what??? I don’t understand. How could you not like baseball? Baseball is awesome! Okay, I know there are some people who just really don’t like baseball. Some would even say they hate it. They think it’s boring and goes on and on for too long. All those tedious stats and the players spend so much time standing around. And, there might only be one run scored in a whole game.

Yeah, so what do you do if your kid wants to play baseball? I guess you could have a nervous breakdown and make him feel super guilty so he’ll quit, but that might not be the best parenting, so let’s come up with some other solutions. If you really want to be a good parent, you need to be supportive of whatever healthy activity your child wants to participate in, as long as there aren’t so many activities that they become overwhelming. Now, the challenge becomes figuring out how you deal with the time you have to be there.

baseball in the grassFirst off, you may just find that the game grows on you. I have been involved with several of my kids’ teams and I’ve seen all kinds of baseball parents. Some are super gung ho and will be at every practice and every game no matter what. Others are the drop-off kind, but will show up at most of the games. And, I have seen parents who have grown to love the game because of seeing the love that their sons or daughters have for it. Watching my kids play sports has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It just so happens that I’ve always loved baseball and I lucked out having two baseball kids.

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Anyway, if you have to be at the practices and games, you could get some things done while you’re there. And, what could be better than being outdoors on a beautiful day? I have used many a practice to clip coupons or read all of those magazines that someone else signed me up for and just keep coming to my house. How about paperwork from work that needs to be organized? One of the parents on our team is a teacher and he grades papers during practices and games. You could always read that book you keep saying you never have time to read. Also, if you have an iPad, you could play solitaire or catch up on Facebook. There are a lot of opportunities to just get stuff done that you can’t squeeze in. Just bring it in the car with you.

baseball scoreboardMaybe you don’t mind baseball that much, but you don’t know anything about the rules. Another thing you can do if you want to learn the game is to keep score. Over the years, I’ve been using an Apple app called iScore to keep the scores and stats, and it has actually helped me get some much-needed brain exercise. I also have the stats for our travel team for most of their games. It’s nice to be able to pull those up later, and also see the stats for competitor teams that they play regularly.

boy playing tballBaseball games can also be a great bonding experience for the family. Siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles might all love coming out to the games and spending time together. I think the games can be very relaxing (when they’re not making me nervous). There’s something about cheering for the kids that is very therapeutic. And, the best time is when they’re little and the games are terrible, yet sweet and adorable. I’ve grown to miss those innocent times when winning and making plays didn’t matter, and the kids running around or sitting in the outfield picking clovers was just plain precious.

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Another benefit of being a baseball parent is the friendships that I’ve gained through baseball. Since the kids spend so much of their time at the fields, they actually have become closer friends with their teammates than they have witplayers on benchh kids at school. The time they get to spend running around at the field and being part of the baseball community while their siblings play has been great for them. And, some of my closest friendships have formed with parents from the baseball scene. We spend a lot of time together and there’s so much bonding watching our kids do battle on the field, fun conversations, and just hanging out. Barbecues after the games have also been a great way to get to know everyone and for the kids to bond with their teammates.

So if you can just hang in there for a while, I promise things will get better being the dreaded “baseball parent”. And your heart will melt watching the smiles from your kid who loves the game.

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16 Comments

  1. Sangeeta

    Good thought of learning baseball even if you do not like it is good parenting. I agree with you. There are many things which i do not like to do but as a mom, i learnt those for my son and start doing and hence, we both are enjoying together. So then, why not baseball. and as you mentioned that there are many benefits of learning baseball as a mom.

    • admin

      Thanks for visiting my page and for your input. 🙂

  2. Caer_Baer

    One of my best memories as a child was my parents supporting me throughout my football phase. They didn’t like it at all at first, by the end they had taken over the concession stand, literally purchased it and ran it at every single game.

    There’s nothing like being the guy on the team that can grab stuff from the concession stand for free. Best of all, my parents were there for me and it felt good. So, thank you for bringing back those memories for me and kudos on the site!

    Now, I have a daughter that is starting softball this year. This site will be invaluable to get me through this. I’ve never been much of a baseball guy. But I do tend to get into different things if I actually know someone that’s involved.

    I am looking at your “Organize the Dugout” page and while everything on there looks great, I want to ask you, is the helmet rack you show there sturdy enough for the job?

    • admin

      Hello and thanks so much for visiting my page & your awesome input. It’s wonderful that your daughter is starting softball…I’m so happy for you that you get to go through this journey with her. And you know as much as anyone how important it is for parents to be there to support them along the way.

      As far as the helmet racks, the Easton hanging rack gets 5-star reviews and I’m sure it’s more than sturdy enough for the job. The do-it-yourself rack, I just found online and I’m guessing if it works for a closet then it will be more than enough for helmets because they’re pretty lightweight. 🙂

  3. Stacy

    WEll this is exactly what I needed to read! My oldest is 4 years old and I see the signs out promoting tball. I’ve purposely not said a word to my son about it. I honestly don’t want him to want to play baseball! I think it’s so boring. But if he asked to play, I would definitely sign him up. This article has ALMOST convinced me to sign him up…almost. Not quite there yet. I really need to take the advice here though!

    • admin

      LOL Stacy. Well, if you ever need any advice or input, just drop me a note. I’m telling you though, you will never be sorry if you sign him up. It’s been the best ride ever and I’ve made some great friends. 🙂

  4. Vicki

    I was one of these parents, but it was because I really didn’t understand the game. I was still very supportive of my son, went to every practice and game. I still don’t enjoy the game, but what I did enjoy was watching the joy my son had while playing. You don’t have to enjoy a sport in order to be supportive.

    • admin

      So true and you got the enjoyment of that bond with your son. 🙂

  5. Darrien

    As you mentioned, finding an interest in baseball can very much stem from interest in your child and his/her success. Not to mention, your child will enjoy it more if he/she sees that you are invested and that you generally care. I remember all the days of soccer, tee-ball, basketball, band, golf. Even if I didn’t like one of the sports, seeing my mom cheering in the crowd or if she asked me about the rules of the game, (which now looking back on it, she surely knew, but just wanted to make me feel special), I just felt like doing my absolute best.

    • admin

      That’s so sweet Darrien. I love hearing stories from people about their moms being at their games. I know my kids love seeing that I’m there cheering them on. Thanks for stopping by my page. 🙂

  6. derekcurry2

    You have a very interesting take on parenting & sports and it makes sense to me, although I’ve never articulated it like you. My son played soccer through most of grad school then switched to swimming. Now swimming is long! Long practices and even longer meets! But a lot like your philosophy I learned to love it and made lots of friends over the years. Thanks for the great post!

    • admin

      Thanks for your comments. I’ve heard swim meets are very long. The things we do for our kids! 🙂

  7. lynnsamuelson

    Shannon,
    I’m a mom of two boys who played a lot of baseball when they were younger and I grew to love the sport. I can relate to what you mean about the different types of baseball parents and how everyone knows after a while who will always be at every game and who will be dropping off (or calling you to see if you can take their son to practice and games). There is a great deal of camaraderie that develops with baseball families if they are the involved type.

    • admin

      Hi Lynn. It has definitely been the best part of my life. I love baseball and I love watching my boys play. And I agree…the camaraderie is wonderful. Thanks for your comments. 🙂

  8. Marlaine

    I had to smile at the title of this post, because I’m thinking I might be one of those parents who will have to just learn to like it when my kids get busy with sports teams in a few years. They are pretty young yet, but my husband and I do want them, when they are ready, to get involved in team sports, even if it’s a sport we ourselves may not totally love. Like baseball, haha.
    One other thing I can think of doing to pass that time during practices and games is to catch up on hanging out with my husband! I would LOVE to have an hour to just sit together in the evening sun and chill together while we smile and wave at our kids having a blast. I totally look forward to that!

    • admin

      Hi Marlaine and thanks for visiting my post and offering your comments. When you see your little ones playing a sport it doesn’t really matter if you like the sport or not…you will LOVE watching them do it. It’s wonderful seeing them learn to work with others and compete towards a goal. And you may even develop a love for it! 🙂

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