It’s more than just a game and offers valuable life lessons.
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Little League baseball fields everywhere are buzzing with excitement. The smell of fresh cut grass on the ball field means spring has sprung. Baseball is such a metaphor for life.
Is a bad break in the past keeping you from being the parent you have the ability to be?
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I have the privilege of helping coach a pitching machine team for six to eight-year-olds. The joy on a child’s face, when he gets his first hit or catches his first pop fly, is impressive to watch. They don’t realize it, but they are learning life lessons as well.
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Although these lessons are great for the kids, they can be even more impactful for us as parents. The following are six parenting lessons to learn from Little League.
1. The calls won’t always go your way
“You’re out,” screamed the umpire emphatically. He was clearly safe, but what lesson did I want to teach my son? As my son came dejected back to the dugout, with a tear in his eyes, I dropped into a squat where I could look him eye to eye.
“The calls don’t always go your way son. There are things in life we can control and things in life we can’t. We do have complete control over how we react when things are unfair or wrong. Now, let’s get over it and go play so hard that that one bad call doesn’t affect the outcome of this whole game.”
Is a bad break in the past keeping you from being the parent you have the ability to be? Maybe it was a divorce you didn’t see coming. Perhaps an unfair layoff at work. Maybe another parent stabbed you in the back. Whatever it is, the calls won’t always go your way.
Let the past go. Focus on being the best parent you can be. Sooner or later life will be unfair to your children. The way you handle whatever bad break you face will be the exact way they will handle their misfortune.
Get back in the fight. Release the bitterness of your past and be the example your children need you to be. In the words of Elsa from the movie Frozen, let it go.
2. You don’t have to be perfect to be great
Kids will strike out if they go to bat enough times. Greatness in Baseball is not about perfection. As a matter of fact, if you can hit the ball only three out of ten times in the major leagues you will be a multimillionaire.
Your kids don’t need you to be perfect. They just need you to be at the plate swinging the bat. You will strike out. Some of your parenting will not work. So what. Get in the game! Your kids need your effort. The great news is the more at bats you take, the better you will become and less you will strike out.
3. Don’t listen to the chatter
Hey, batter, batter, batter, swing batter! The opposition is always talking to the batter. They try to distract him from focusing on what is important.
The coach’s voice is critical. It must be focused on in order to improve. The coach has experience. He wants the batter to perform well, and the good ones will do everything in their power to put the batter in a position to perform at his best.
As parents, there is always chatter. Whether it be from parents, in-laws, friends or even foes, everybody has an opinion on how you should parent your child.
Successful parenting comes by filtering through the chatter and listening to the correct voices. Who has successfully raised great kids? Who has your best interest at heart? Who would you want to be like as a parent? Once you find your ideal “coach,” block out all the other chatter. Focus on their voice and follow their example.
4. Keep your eye on the ball
The key to hitting the ball is to keep your eye on the ball. Almost every coach will at some point remind the hitter of this fundamental truth.
What is your eye on as a parent? Is it focused on the needs of your child? Are you completely present when you are with your child or are you checking Facebook on your phone? Be completely present. Focus on him. This is fundamental, and we all need to be reminded of it from time to time.
5. Swing the bat
I had a friend of mine tell me he taught his team one main lesson, and I have tried to do the same. Swing the bat! There is no shame in striking out as long as you were swinging the bat and trying to hit the ball.
As a parent, are you swinging the bat? Are you waiting for the perfect pitch or are you aggressively trying to make something happen. Be engaged in your child’s life. Don’t be passive!
Your legacy depends largely on how you play the game of parenting.
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If I am going to make a mistake as a parent, there is no shame in making that mistake while doing everything I can to make something positive happen. Dig into the batter’s box of parenting and swing for the fences.
6. Great effort often results in ice cream after the game
After a big win, we often take the kids to the local ice cream shop as a reward for their effort. The lesson for the kids is that extra effort results in treats.
Parenting is the same way. If you give every bit of effort, you have, to be the best parent you can be today, there will be a lifetime of treats.
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Your legacy depends largely on how you play the game of parenting. Everything else in life will be irrelevant if you fail as a parent.
Sacrifice today, so that your legacy will be celebrated. You have all the skills you need. Now you just need to execute. Be the hero and play with all your heart.
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Photo: Flickr/ Daren Eilert