He’d seen it a couple of times before. He’d seen the field, the chalk lines, the bases, the uniforms, and the players.
But he never played, not until now.
He’d played golf, soccer, and tennis. He’d been excited about all of them, but baseball was a different kind of excitement. It was The Sandlot kind and it was contagious. And even though I had been unknowingly drafted into being the Team Mom, I was still excited about the whole experience. I was excited to see him in uniform and to witness his first at bat.
Little League … it brings all kinds of excitement.
But I can tell you, I wasn’t excited about the parents. I don’t think most people are excited about the parents. It’s something very common, that peopled don’t talk about. We tend to keep it to ourselves, but it still exists. In fact I’m one of those parents that doesn’t really like other parents. I mean just because you have a kid the same age as mine doesn’t mean we’re friends, and in truth I’m not into the fake talk. I’m not much for exchanging birthing stories with random people. You kind of have to grow on me. If you give me a good vibe, we’ll chat it up. If you seem like the Mommy-Me-Mafia type camouflaged in baseball clothing I’ll probably keep my distance. Surprisingly there weren’t too many unlikable parents on my son’s team, which was a relief. Don’t get me wrong there were plenty out there, luckily none belonged to my son’s team.
But all that didn’t matter, because when my son stood out on that baseball diamond, I forgot about everyone else and cheered him on. I was proud of his hustle. He makes for a good shortstop, although he’s not too fond of the pop fly. Nobody on his team seems to be, but that’s O.K. I love those Bad News Bears moments, that’s how they seemed to bond. And he seemed to enjoy playing on the team. So we’ll be sticking around for the rest of the season, making our weekly visits to the diamond. Parents beware.
Waiting in the dugout, waiting to hit their first home run.
It was a little overcast in the beginning, but as the hits kept coming the sun came out. I was happy that my son was able to connect, even if the pitches were way up there. Kids often have a determination to smack that ball even if it’s not in the strike zone.
The sun came out as they took the field … Baseball ready.
One of the Bad News Bears moments, where everyone felt the need to help, but in the end my son was able to get the ball and make the play to first.
Heading toward third and making his way home. He was pretty ecstatic that they didn’t tag him. High-fives all around when he reached home plate.
In the end it was a good bucket list adventure for both of us..
Related articles
- Sandbox Adventure List 19: Feeling The Blue Fever (thewishfactor.wordpress.com)
The Wish Factor 