"Play hard"
"Go have fun!"
"Remember - line drives all the way.."
"Don't forget to squeeze your glove..."
What ever it is you say to your child before the game, we usually all have something! We need to put in our last two cents of advice before they step on the field, and we relinquish our own influences and hand them over to their coaches! They're ready for the game, and more likely than not have the look on their face that is subtly trying to tell us to just STOP TALKING so that they can just PLAY!
Getting your child ready for a game can sometimes seem such a big responsibility! Not only do we need to make sure all equipment and uniform requirements are met, but covering their nutritious intake, their hygiene and then the mental prep is HUGE, at times overwhelming!
My son has even told me things I should NOT say to him before a game! "Mom, don't say get a big hit, because that makes me think, WHAT IF I DON'T"....
Something I want to know is this : Who's there to give us Mom's the pre-game pep-talk? Who is there for us, who are absolutely sweating pre-game at the thought of our child maybe forgetting some key-SOMETHING, or that their special game-day-gatorade is still sitting at home in the refrigerator? And during the game too - we're pacing, we're all doing strange things with our hands to try not to stress out......we hold items such as video devices or digital cameras to "keep us busy" so that we don't YELL at bad moments! Jokingly, we think we would actually make money if we instigated a "cuss jar"! Really, we should start a reality TV series, on baseball Moms, because we are seriously a funny bunch! Our behavior as our child comes up to bat......our reaction when they make a play worthy of MLB.......move over "america's funniest" because WE ARE IT!
I titled this post "game face", because I think that to some extent OUR game face is an example to the ones we are there to support. They are out on the field REPRESENTING, and there we are - their support network. We are the ones behind the scenes, we are their "hair-and-make-up", their "wardrobe-consultant", their "PR manager", and most of all, we're the ones they come to for snuggles when they are worn out or worn down, joyful or tearful, and no matter what the outcome of the game, we are their MOMS.
The motivation to write this blog came when I realized that in my older son's world, the baseball field is where life makes sense. My hope is to write a balanced view on youth baseball, from a Mom's perspective. I don't have all the answers, I never want to come across as though I think I am an expert....my goal is to keep it real, keep it fun.....and always love the game!
