I am raising this question for folks that have more than one child in a baseball oriented household. There is absolutely no right or wrong here and I am only looking to see what other folks have done. It is too late for me because my last one of four kids is a sophomore in HS. But maybe we can give other folks in the same situation some ideas.

I believe this is a very very difficult task especially when in my case where everything revolves around baseball. In our family we have (2) boys and (2) girls. I will tell you this....Everyone of them played baseball initially. I say that because the (2) girls eventually came to me and said they did not want to play baseball anymore and wanted to try other things. One ended up dancing for 14 years, she is now a sophomore in college and the other is a sophomore in HS playing.....Varsity *****r. Now that leaves two sons, one was drafted the first child by the way and my other son has returned from military school and is currently trying to enter the law enforcement field. This son played baseball as well like the rest and hopped from one sport to another. Baseball, Football, Wrestling Track and S****r.

I gave all of this background so you know how things turned out. I still wonder to this day and it may be a Dad thing; was I wrong to make all of them play baseball and should I have just let them take the direction they wanted?

What do you do Raising kids in a Baseball Home??

O42

Orioles, I think it's a very natural thing for the younger kids to follow in the footsteps of the first child.

My son has played various sports while growing up, but baseball was always his passion and always took precedent over everything else. We did vacations, etc. around baseball. I never resented this - actually just the opposite - I loved it! Baseball was never really a discussion of "if", it just always was.

My daughter, who is three years younger than son, also played baseball. She played three years of tee-ball followed by one year of baseball before switching to softball. In my area, the softball opportunities weren't there when she was very young. She's also played many other sports/activities and has actually decided to give up softball. She's focusing on volleyball which she didn't begin until highschool. This is another sport that has only began and progressed over the last few years here.

A friend of my daughter's (actually JohnLex's son) told her yesterday that since she had quit softball, she could come to more baseball (HS) games this year. She said she told him "don't worry, my mom already has the schedule". We are a "baseball home" and will always be in some capacity. It's just something that we all enjoy very much!

Interesting question Orioles.

I have three kids. Oldest is the ballplayer (20, college), daughter (19, college) and daugher (8, 3rd grade). Baseball has always been very prominent in our household due to our son's involvement and our love for the game. While the kids were growing up, baseball was also the majority of our weekends and vacations. My older daugher played t-ball and a year of softball and then transitioned into HER sport...swimming. Youngest daughter played t-ball and plays softball in the youth programs (honestly, I don't think her participation will last much longer as she is transitioning into the swimming direction herself).

I have never had a problem justifying to myself or my younger kids the amount of time spent revolving around baseball. Actually, had it not been for baseball the kids wouldn't have seen Disney World, or Cooperstown, or Boston's historic sights, Niagara Falls, or the beaches of St. Augustine, Coco Beach, Hilton Head, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. They wouldn't have had the thrill of leaving the United States for the first time and going to Canada (I still remember how excited they were to 'cross a border'). We never reached a point of having to drag my daughter to these games/tournaments because she conveniently transitioned from the fun of playing with the other siblings who were travelling to "appreciating" the fine-looking young men out on the field!

It has all been rather easy actually...and I'm glad you brought up this subject because upon reflection I am glad to realize how much our entire FAMILY has enjoyed baseball.

Interesting and brings some remorse on my part.

I'll start with my daughter. She plays rec softball, s-occ-er, and now volley ball as well. She is more of an artist/student than athlete. She just is not that competitive (athletics wise no, academis yes) although she does appear to have some athletic ability. We never forced her to travel with us for baseball since we had close friends she could stay at if she chose. Sports appear to be just a social activity for her and no we never really attempted to get her to play.

My two sons almost 21 and 18 are really about 2 and 1/2 years apart. The younger one always played up so there were times when the two boys were on the same teams. That is not to say the older one was not any good because he was. They were also both good football players as well.

My remorse is that I am very competitive and would vocally/publicly let them know how I felt about their performance when they were younger. Very dumb. My younger one really didn't get yelled at that often but handled things well. My older one, I thought I could somehow raise his level of play and spur him on. He needed a different approach (looking back) since his big thing was he didn't possess the confidence of the younger one. I will always regret that (my actions) but promise to be a great grandparent someday

Yes, being a grandparent is our chance for a giant "Do-Over." And to top things off, when they start getting whiney or out-of-hand we'll be able to give them back! Sounds like the best of both worlds to me

This topic is a tough one, because obviously there is no one "right way." I know our parenting sort of evolved over time -- there was no grand plan. And with all the bleacher time we logged, through baseball and other sports, it gave us a lot of time to observe other families' dynamics -- for good or for bad. We let the boys' interests dictate the paths we ended up going down. I think everyone was pretty much OK with how it ended up.

But I often wonder how our kids are going to raise THEIR kids. If they felt put-upon by all the running around we did with youth sports, will they choose differently for their kids? Or will they think it was great and encourage the same for their kids? Maybe then we'll figure out if they thought it was a good thing or not.

Lead by example for starters.

I have 4 kids, 2g and 2b

girl 20
boy 17
girl 13
boy8

First the girls, always be a gentleman. My 20 year old ran track, played hoops, played volleyball up until Senior year, and changed to cheerleader. She never cared for baseball or softball.

My 13 year old plays volleyball, softball(mainly because of brothers I guess), and her favorite is snowboarding. I get the feeling she may give up the softball, but seeing a skinny kid put on the tools of ignorance with no complaining makes me think she is tougher than she looks. I purchased her hitting nets, and other stuff, and work with her more than the boys.

My 2007 boy is the beneficiary of no fatherly imposed will. Baseball, and ones continued success in the sport is truly all about passion, their own passion. I never wanted to hear any of my kids quit a sport because they only did it for me.

I coached my 2007 until he was about 11, then sent him into the travel leagues and became a fan. I think coaching your kid past a certain level is counter-productive, my opinion based on experiences of others.

My influence was simple. I played organized baseball until age 44, for myself mainly, but when my 2007, and 8 year old came to games, I knew it had an effect positively, and maybe they learned some things such as sportsmanship,fundamentals, and how to carry oneself on the field. Also seeing pops nail a few bombs didn't hurt.

Now I feel his(2007) motivations, passion for the game, and drive to succeed are all his own, and so far, so good. He is a dominant player in our area and will be rewarded with the opportunity to solidify his college and draft positioning this summer at events leading up to the 2007 MLB draft.

My 8 year old is following in his footsteps, in all sports. I am the first to say travel baseball is wrong for kids until they get a basic understanding of the game, but an area HS coach, well-respected, regional qualifier has a boy that age, and they formed a local travel team. My little guy played for him in recball this past summer, and lets say he runs it first class...............so

They announce tryouts. The 2 weeks leading up to it must have felt like years to him. All he would talk about was making that team. After the tryout, and knowing by watching he was one of the top players, the coach said he would mail the results of the roster in 2 weeks.

That was 2 weeks of a little boy totally consumed with this process. It was the most important thing in his young life to date. That passion still baffles me. He made the team.

Never once did I offer him my thoughts on his playing choices(he never asks me anyway), but I am sure he just loves the game because of all the influences in the household.

Right now it is hoops season, and big brother is having another fantastic varsity campaign, and is an area leader in shooting, and dunks pretty good. So as of now..........

My Foyer is a basketball court!!

quote:

Originally posted by orioles42:
What do you do Raising kids in a Baseball Home??

We have 4 kids (D 18, S 13, D 5, S 1.5) so for now, the baseball is limited to the son. The oldest daughter is a softball player though but her career will end when she graduates. I never really "pushed" my kids into a sport and have usually let them make their own decisions. I have somewhat guided them a time or two though. For instance, my daughter (in addition to softball and golf) was a cheerleader but it took time away from more important things (IMO) so I was happy when she decided to drop it.

I will say that for daughter #2, I'm kind of hoping she plays s-****-r or some sport I know absolutely nothing about so I can be one of the parents in a lawn chair for once.

Orioles,

Interesting question.

I come from a "Baseball Family".

Granddad, Dad - Uncle (godfather) - me - and both my boys.

Even my mom is an avid - and pretty knowledgable baseball person IMO.

We did nothing with the boys - other than help provide them with opportunities.

As long as they were doing their best in school - and acting like good human beings - my wife and I supported and encouraged them in their baseball endeavors.

Additionally, when they asked baseball related questions - we gave them the truth - as we saw it.

Thats about it.

What is amazing about this thread is the responses so far. They have been outstanding!

Not that it matters coming from me; but I see a bunch of kids out there that are very fortunate to have the parents they do.

O42

This IS an interesting question. My family lives in a Chicago suburb that is not much into travel teams. But we are. The local high school is pretty much football oriented. But we're not. We are an "anomaly"--something different, abnormal, peculiar, or not easily classified"...., well, we're pretty easily classified as different, abnormal, peculiar. We play baseball. Ok, the girls play softball. Two boys--18 and 16, and two girls--12 and 10, who are equally competitive, equally talented. The girls grew up on a baseball field. Ok, they are still growing up, as I am. Learnin' every day.

We vacation with our travel teams--at tournaments. Granted, we would not necessarily choose these vacation destinations, but we are seeing the USA in our...ok, minivan...

It all started when I would race home (one mile) in October of the mid '60's to watch the remaining innings of the World Series games...I collected baseball cards. I read biographies of baseball players. (I thought that this would be a great way to converse with the other 5th grade boys in my class. I was right.) I wrote fan letters to cute baseball players. Sadly, they never responded to me--I was practically a grown woman of 12. My father would yell at me to "turn off the T.V. set--there are 154 games and you don't have to watch every single one them."

The point is, I have ALWAYS loved baseball. Of course mine would be a baseball home. I didn't know anything else. Not that I played, or anything. My brother only played Little League, and my dad coached him, but that was it. My husband is from the part of the country that didn't have organized youth baseball and so he never played.

My question is--how do you raise kids WITHOUT baseball?????????????

play baseball - Enjoyed your story!

It's funny the paths that our lives take us sometimes. I never liked baseball - as a matter of fact I thought it was the most stupid and boring game on the face of the earth. Had a beautiful little boy who I just knew would someday play basketball for the UK Wildcats! Got him a goal for Christmas right before he turned two! He could dribble - it was a done deal!!!!!

Then, I signed him up for t-ball for fun. Something to pass the time until be could shine on the basketball court! That was the beginning of the kid never putting down a small white ball and the beginning of a growing passion of mine. The rest is history as they say! My son has always played basketball (rec leagues and enjoys it quite a bit), but nothing could ever match his love or now mine for the wonderful game of baseball!

Some of us are just late bloomers I guess!

playbaseball - I loved your post as well

This thread is excellent and I have really enjoyed reading everyone's responses here today

quote:

My question is--how do you raise kids WITHOUT baseball?????????????

VERY good question...to which I obviously have no answer!

as i read this forum i grow very envious of all of your kids, i think you guys are all wonderful parents, my parents don't support me playing ball, they would rather me being a book worm( even though i do pretty well in school) just em and my brother play ball in my family, my dad ( not my mom ) is more than willing to fund my baseball things, but can you believe that i asked my parents what position i play the other day and they did not know!

THEY HAVE NOT EVEN BEEN TO ONE OF MY BASEBALL GAMES.

pitching101 - I'll say collectively for the forum, that is one of the nicest compliments we have received here in along time.

My parents didn't understand me either - trust me on that one. Your school is VERY important but so is baseball. I see no reason you can't do both and excell at them. I believe as long as you do well in school, your baseball can succeed even if they do not completely get it. If I ever run across you on a baseball field, I'll be sure to watch

Having read all of the great responses I knew I wanted to responed but I'm not sure I know where to start? Her goes! First off I have a 06 son going to UK in the fall and my daughter is an 08. To further set the stage my daughter hates sports! OUCH! Other than playing s****r when she was in first and second grade that is the extent of her sports career. It was dance and more dance after that!

My son of course played everything until he made a select travel baseball team when he was in 6th grade and then he gave up all the rest. With the daughter hating sports it has been very difficult traveling around the midwest the past 6yrs going to baseball tournments! I'm sure I'm not alone telling this story? Anyway as the kids got older it actually has become easier because she would stay with friends who's brothers played or she would go to the grandparents for a week or two. I did feel very guilty about leaving her behind but she said she didn't mind because it was better than getting sunburned watching a baseball game!

As a Freshman she made the drill team and became very involved in that and has become one of the officers. The drill team is almost a year around team so that really keeps her busy. When the fall came around it was off to all of the football games (no problem there) and the band shows! When the son started playing fall ball I would only go to his games when the daughter didn't have anything going on. That made her feel special and helped me get over the guilt a little bit. The hard part with her know is that she also wanted us to get involved with the band boosters etc. since I had coached the son until select ball what was I going to say? That was tough as most of band parents hate sports too! LOL! I have learned to bite my tongue and do what I can and I have learned to appreciate all the hardwork that the band and there parents do!

The irony of this story is that my sister and I went through the same thing when I was younger. She hated sports and Mom and Dad would drag my sister along! That must be why my sister still gives me the cold shoulder now and then? Now I also know what Mom and Dad went through back then.

I also told the daughter that starting this fall she will have two years for us to make it up to her since her brother will be off to Kentucky.

I wonder if she will want to go on a few baseball trips down south next year? LOL!

Buckeye - Wait until she sees some of these boys here in a UK uniform - and don't be surprised if she wants to bring a friend along!

Pitching101 - Not everyone shares a love or an understanding of baseball/activities. Please share your experiences with this group of fanatics. We'd love to hear about your year. I assume you're a pitcher?

lafmom you might be right? That would be 180 degree turnaround however. She told my wife and I that she would never marry a guy who liked sports! Her current boy friend is 6'3" and he has 4 other brothers and none of them play sports! Ouch! I'm a sports addict so having 5 boys and none of them involved in sports would have killed me!

Can't believe the weather it was upper 50's the last two days here in Dayton and the son got in some long toss outside. But it is supposed to snow after midnight! Oh well it is still January in Ohio!

Great topic....

We ARE a baseball fmaily!. My wife use to come to my high school games... to watch another guy! I was eying her as she was eying him...too funny

We have 3 sons who all have played baseball. Whne the oldest (25) started t-ball, I was just a dad who was going and watching, never thoguth of coaching kids other than teaching him. When I saw how lost most of the coaches where, I desided to "jump in" and atleast teach them how to do things right...LOL
Becasue of this, the 2 younger (22 & 20) ones started running the bases as soon as they stopped falling down trying to walk. They always wanted to play with the oldest. IWhen the oldest was 11, I coached a group of "second tier players in tournaments and I had the "coaching bug". Oldest and I are too much alike and at 12 I thought he needed a different coach, one he might listen too....this is something I regret because this is when he started losing his passion because he didn't think the coaches where "knowledgeable" and as a teenage, my coaching baseball was a "wedge" between us.
The 22 and 20 both played travel ball, I coached the 20's team. Our program wouldn't let the kids play up, so they had to play on different teams. I always scheduled my team to be in the same tournaments, same towns as the 22 yr olds. We shared the same field at home so when the 22's team was homw we played away...unless I could schedule games before or after his. My wife went with the 22 to his games. The 25 and 22 decided after their sophomore years to get jobs, cars, girls and to heck with the jerk coach. Youngest is still going strong. The 2 older will go watch the younger when ever they get the opportunity. They wear shirts, shorts, hats of what ever team theit brother is playing on...proud brothers.
Wife and I....we go to independent games, MLB games, local college games....just to watch the game....she likes the game but I think she likes the tight pants on the players just as much

Baseball...is just a way of life and without it life just wouldn't be as enjoyable. Once the game gets "in you" it never leaves.

Our first was our only for 9 years. Being that I had wanted a career early and working alot, my daughter was the little boy my husband longed for. She never wanted to play, didn't like sports, she was a dancer. But he would drag her to spring training games and on weekends to watch the local minor league team, with her case of Barbie dolls and clothes! She never complained.

By the time her brother came, she had just about had it. There was no question that he was dads next companion to the stadium, and he began taking him when he was just a baby. I don't think son ever had a chance to do anything else. By the time he was ready for t- ball she was already a teen and into her own thing, so we focused on baseball for the next 12-13 years.

However, I look back and see that she was somewhat jealous of the time we spent at the field, trips, she rarely came, finally when he was a senior she began coming because she wanted to see what was going on. Had no clue about the game. After she realized that he was pretty good, she became more interested and now knows more about the game than most people.

Now all she talks about is when she has a son he will go to college and play baseball. She also is a very strong force in keeping him in line, constantly reminding him that he might have a future in baseball, where we rarely bring up playing beyond college.

Pitching101,
Because we are bseball parents and yours are not does not make us better parents. My son had plenty of team mates whose parents never came to games.

What you might do is help them in undertanding what the game is all about, so they can appreciate it as much as you do.

There are plenty of us moms here who have sent our only or last off to play, just let us know when you need to "talk".