I think I'm going to go 2 for 2 on the baseball front with our kids. I, having been raised in a household of sports fanship, of playing organized baseball until late teens, had been a bit concerned. Was baseball going to be too boring to our kids?
Our daughter proved it not to be for herself, at least at this point. She loves the big league ballpark experience. She loves playing softball. She'll play catch if you ask. She seems to be... invested, at least as much as a 5th grader can be.
But after one year of tee-ball, the youngest wasn't so sold. After last season, he told me he didn't want to play baseball, that he had "already learned it". I explained that he was going to play SOME spring sport, and it was probably a choice between baseball and soccer.
Okay, soccer.
So I explained a bit further - you run a lot in soccer. A LOT.
Okay, baseball.
So, he's now in his second season, and this year, he's into it. The coach gives baseball cards out to the kids who make outs in the field. He's not a bad fielder for his age, so he's been loving that, and I'm enjoying his reading of the cards on the way home. Are 89 BBs good? This guy had 89 in the BBs column. Is that good?
Is he a pitcher or a hitter?
He plays outfield.
That's pretty good, I explain.
He now likes playing catch, just about anytime. Game days he wants to put his uniform on. He keeps asking to do it, usually ends up with it on at least a half hour before we need to go. Then he asks if he should put his cleats on. Over and over and over. He's ready to go.
It's all cool. He wants to play the game, and that feels good to me.
