The Fun of Parenthood

I am sure many of my blog entries will be about baseball -- because baseball takes up most waking moments that aren't spent at school! I swore, just a couple of years ago in fact, that I would NEVER be a tournament mom! A family down the street had their son in tournament ball and would be gone all weekend and not get home until late Sunday night. "No thank you," I said! Well, I now eat my words, and actually miss the weekend tournaments (when we are on our 3 week a year break!) The other parents have become some of my best friends and every boy on Connor's team is a treasure!


We had our first tournament of the Fall Season this past weekend. We packed up and headed to Beaumont, TX totally expecting to be rained out. Instead, we had a hot, sun-filled weekend of great ball games! It is fun and exciting to watch these boys who have been together as a team for a year finally gel. They are also maturing and making good plays by themselves! So much fun!!


This poem was sent to us last year and does sum up it all up. Thought I'd share:


BEING A SELECT BASEBALL PARENT

I used to have a regular life. (Actually, many of my friends say that sentence should say, "I used to have a life", period.) It doesn't really seem that long ago. Then I became a Select Baseball Parent.
I used to think anything over $40 was an exorbitant price for a baseball bat or glove. Now the contents of my son's equipment bag are worth more than everything else in the house -- including clothes, jewelry, watches, and my laptop computer.
I used to think a double-header was a long day at the ball field. Now after two games we're just getting warmed up.
I used to look for little restaurants that served seafood fresh off the boat. Now I'm the connoisseur of nachos and hot dogs and my kids rate a city by the quality of a tournament's snack bar!
Sunflower seeds used to be something I would see at a store and wonder who would eat those things? Now I don't feel comfortable leaving the house without a bag in my pocket.
My lawn used to be like a carpet. It was green, mowed, trimmed, fertilized and watered. Now I have two bare spots the simulated distance from pitching rubber to the catcher and dents in my garage door from using it as the backstop for the pitching machine!
My truck used to draw admiring looks and comments. It was clean and waxed and shined and Armor-All'd. Now it only draws attention when boys write "wash me" on the back window in the tournament parking lot.
I used to have a garage, now I have an indoor batting area.
My friends and I used to spend Monday mornings talking about a round of golf or a movie we had just seen. Now I bore them to death with detailed play-by-play descriptions of five or six low-scoring ball games.
We used to sit and talk for hours. We still do -- however, now it's to keep the driver awake when we're headed home late Sunday evening after a tournament.
My summer casual wardrobe used to be made up of color-coordinated polo shirts, cool cottons in bright colors, and the occasional "aloha" shirt. Now I have a closet full of T-shirts that have tournament names on the front and competing teams on the back.
We used to spend our summer vacation relaxing on the beach or visiting family. Now we hit the road with 20 of our closest friends in a caravan that could rival some small town parades.
I used to be concerned that I would fall into the trap of living my life through my kid. Now I know I'm privileged to live my life WITH my kid !!!
Yes, I'm a Select Baseball Parent, what could be better !?!


By Author Unknown