Why do we want to watch our Kids Play Sports?

So for the last four weeks, tournaments have been rained out leaving countless numbers of kids disappointed not getting to compete for the title of weekends best!  However, after reading the social media wires, I think parents are as disappointed as the kids if not more.

Those of us who have kids who play sports (my kids are currently playing select baseball and softball) have weekends that revolve around traveling North Texas and places like Gulf Shores, Panama Beach, Orlando, Oklahoma City, Houston, Normal, Illinois and other great places in the United States.  A local tournament for me usually consist of playing in a city just over an hour from where we live.

We spend thousands of dollars every year just in travel alone.  That doesn’t even include equipment, lodging, team fees, hitting & pitching lessons, or food.  We leave work early and sometimes unfinished.  We slack off on taking care of the yard work or daily chores of the house.  Our cars have too many miles and in need of a serious wash.  Yet, we continue to support our children every weekend.

Then when it comes to the games, many great God fearing parents can be seen yelling at the other teams, mocking the umpires, or questioning the decisions our child made on the field.  We create high expectations with sometimes unachievable results.  I have seen marriages fall apart and friendships lost over our kids’ games.  We push our kids to achieve greatness in a little league ballpark in hopes for what?  Are they going to be turning pro next year?  The anxiety of watching our kids can become great as we hope for success and pray they don’t fail.

I have a confession to make!  I have been known to have been described in some of these situations, and a lot of my friends who have kids may even think I am writing about them.  (In full disclosure- I do use my friends’ experiences as material for blogs.  I just won’t use their names- so friends- keep giving me the material!)

So why do we as parents continue to enjoy watching our kids play sports?

In truth- I love watching my kids play sports.  I love seeing them practice and then achieving the results on the field.  Sometimes they win and sometimes they experience losing.  I feel there are lessons to be learned throughout the whole process from practice to winning and losing on the field.  I think these experiences will help my kids as they enter high school, graduate from college and start working in their careers.

In past blogs, it has been explained that a lot of parents live through their child because they never achieved the results they wanted as a kid.  There have been explanations that parents get their self-worth from the success of their child.  I feel for some (they seem to be the most vocal at games and practices) this may be true; however for most parents this is not the case.

Youth sports allows parents to get away from the daily grind of paying the mortgage, cleaning the house, going to a job with a boss they may not like, dealing with an angry customer, or worrying about all of the curves life continues to throw at us.  It is a couple of hours that we can sit back and regain our innocents which was lost a long time ago.  You know what I’m talking about!  The memories where the only thing you had to worry about was if the rain will hold off long enough to allow the game to go on as scheduled.

The rain was usually our biggest disappointment in the spring or summer months.  It was the one thing that kept us from doing what we wanted to do that day.  It really was the only thing we had to worry about.  So for all you parents, let’s hope the rain holds off this weekend, so we can regain a bit of our youth and enjoy some baseball or softball!

For more information about the 04 Texas Travelers contact Coach Kyle Bennett at 972.679.7702 or follow The Texas Travelers on Facebook.  The Texas Travelers are a 10 U 2004 team that plays ASA competitive softball.  To follow particular players, games, practices or see any other information about the North Texas Select Softball team visit: 04 Texas Travelers News Site.