Jersey #3 played in his very first baseball game on Saturday.
It was quite a growing experience.
For the past couple years, he has happily worn his older sisters' baseball caps, and dreamed of the day he was old enough to have a baseball uniform of his own. He has a natural love for sports of all kinds, it seems. This summer baseball league is his very first chance to participate in an organized sport. Bad weather canceled the first game of the season. He missed the 2nd game, due to Jersey #2's heart surgery. So, he met his coach and his team on game #3 of the season schedule. (It is a very relaxed league, thankfully).
He was so excited to lay out his uniform and glove the night before. He woke up early Saturday morning and started getting dressed. He was ready!
And then, he started to get nervous.
He announced he was scared, while eating breakfast. He left his glove in the van when we arrived at the ball park. He walked slow across the parking lot, and even slower the closer we got to the field. By the time we reached the dug out, he had changed his mind and said he didn't want to play. I gave him a little pep talk about how much fun he will have and how long he has been waiting for this opportunity. Then, I took his hand and walked him up to meet his coach. He politely shook his coach's hand.
And then he clung to me and started to cry. It was a silent, scared cry, and I felt bad for him. He has come a long way in the past 5 years, but new social situations are still very overwhelming for him. He is an extremely introverted child. He enjoys solitude. He has no need expend the energy to convert strangers into friends. He prefers routine to his day. He enjoys being at home. Social interactions drain him.
Unfortunately, the Wii gaming system in our living room is just not enough of an outlet for his love of sports. So he knows, and I know that he has to learn to adjust to social environments, and other people, in order to play team sports.
I really surprised myself because I was not embarrassed by his behavior. I joke that he is the child who humbled me, because I used to take credit for the behavior of his friendly, very social, well-adjusted older sisters. Clearly my halo has fallen off and shattered! I know my priorities have changed, because I sense that difference in myself. But, I had no idea just how much I had changed until I was standing there, in front of the stands, with a scared, crying, 5-year old boy, who was saying he did not want to play baseball anymore. At that moment in time, I was not concerned with drawing negative attention from the parents in the stands. I was only concerned about helping my son.
I escorted Jersey #3 into the dugout and sat down with him on the bench. It was easy to do, because he was wrapped around my leg and went with me every step of the way. Once we were away from the coach and his teammates, I calmly instructed him to stop the crying and catch his breath. I gave him a moment to compose himself and then he looked up at me.
One thing that I have learned about raising boys is to keep my "lectures" short and concise. I put my hand on his shoulder and I assured him that it was Ok to be scared. I reminded him that he loves baseball and has been waiting a long time for this chance to play. I encouraged him to push through this fear and try his best. I explained that it was Ok if he missed the ball when it was time to bat, or if he had to chase after it in the field. That is all part of learning how to play the game. I assured him that his coach was nice and was going to teach him how to play baseball....just like he was teaching the other kids on his team.
By this point, the rest of the team showed up to the dug out to transition to their turn for batting practice at home plate. The coach introduced Jersey #3 to his team, and they said hi to him. Jersey #3 buried his head in my abdomen. I gave him a hug and repositioned him on the other side of me, next to one of his teammates. I showed him that the other kids were all wearing the same shirt, like him, because they were a team. That peaked his interest. The coach gave the order to line up for batting practice and the team filed out of the dug out. With another dose of encouragement from me, Jersey #3 got up and walked out on the field and stood in line.
I joined Jersey #1 in the stands. Her game was scheduled for the following time slot. The other children were home with The Referee, as we are still keeping a low public profile during this point in Jersey #2's recovery. I filled Jersey #1 in on what was going on with Jersey #3. She understood.
And then we watched the love of sports and the encouragement from the assisting Dads help Jersey #3 overcome his fear of the spotlight.
While he was standing in line for his turn to bat, one of the Dads helping the Coach was demonstrating to Jersey #3 how to swing the bat. Jersey #3 was listening, with tears still falling. He obeyed the instructions and stood at home plate when it was his turn to bat. He hit the ball on the Coach's first pitch. The Coach and his helpers were shocked! They could not contain their surprise, and their comments were very encouraging.
One of the Dads helping out exclaimed, "Boy! Look at that hit. You are a natural."
The Coach said, "Let's see you do that again," and threw a second pitch. That hit was even more impressive. The 3rd hit was a tipped foul. The assisting Dad fielded the ball and gave it to Jersey #3 to throw back to the Coach. Jersey #3 has quite an arm on him....to the point that he has been forbidden from throwing a ball in our house from the time he was about 15 months old. So, his throw yielded even more encouraging comments about his "natural" baseball talent.
By this point, Jersey #3 was smiling from ear to ear. The tears were gone. He was ready to play in his very first official baseball game.
He hit the ball on the Coach's pitch each time he was up to bat. (That is pretty neat, because this age group usually uses a tee to hit the ball). He ran the bases with determination. He listened to all of the coaching advice from the Coach as well as the parent assistants from both teams. He did not appreciate the umpire touching him to physically adjust his batting stance though. He is big on personal space, and would like strangers to keep their distance. He gave everyone a high-five when he completed his first run.
When the first inning was over, he ran to me in the stands and shrieked in delight....
"Mom! Did you see how good I did?"
He didn't care that his announcement was so loud and so excited that the other parents in the stands could not help but chuckle. He paused for a second when he realized he had just drawn a ton of attention to himself. Then, he jumped up and down and exclaimed,
"I LOVE BASEBALL!!!!"
Then he turned and ran back to the dugout, ready for the next inning.
And I continued to jump up and down on the inside, so proud of the way he was able to overcome such a social challenge.
It was quite a growing experience.
For the past couple years, he has happily worn his older sisters' baseball caps, and dreamed of the day he was old enough to have a baseball uniform of his own. He has a natural love for sports of all kinds, it seems. This summer baseball league is his very first chance to participate in an organized sport. Bad weather canceled the first game of the season. He missed the 2nd game, due to Jersey #2's heart surgery. So, he met his coach and his team on game #3 of the season schedule. (It is a very relaxed league, thankfully).
He was so excited to lay out his uniform and glove the night before. He woke up early Saturday morning and started getting dressed. He was ready!
And then, he started to get nervous.
He announced he was scared, while eating breakfast. He left his glove in the van when we arrived at the ball park. He walked slow across the parking lot, and even slower the closer we got to the field. By the time we reached the dug out, he had changed his mind and said he didn't want to play. I gave him a little pep talk about how much fun he will have and how long he has been waiting for this opportunity. Then, I took his hand and walked him up to meet his coach. He politely shook his coach's hand.
And then he clung to me and started to cry. It was a silent, scared cry, and I felt bad for him. He has come a long way in the past 5 years, but new social situations are still very overwhelming for him. He is an extremely introverted child. He enjoys solitude. He has no need expend the energy to convert strangers into friends. He prefers routine to his day. He enjoys being at home. Social interactions drain him.
Unfortunately, the Wii gaming system in our living room is just not enough of an outlet for his love of sports. So he knows, and I know that he has to learn to adjust to social environments, and other people, in order to play team sports.
I really surprised myself because I was not embarrassed by his behavior. I joke that he is the child who humbled me, because I used to take credit for the behavior of his friendly, very social, well-adjusted older sisters. Clearly my halo has fallen off and shattered! I know my priorities have changed, because I sense that difference in myself. But, I had no idea just how much I had changed until I was standing there, in front of the stands, with a scared, crying, 5-year old boy, who was saying he did not want to play baseball anymore. At that moment in time, I was not concerned with drawing negative attention from the parents in the stands. I was only concerned about helping my son.
I escorted Jersey #3 into the dugout and sat down with him on the bench. It was easy to do, because he was wrapped around my leg and went with me every step of the way. Once we were away from the coach and his teammates, I calmly instructed him to stop the crying and catch his breath. I gave him a moment to compose himself and then he looked up at me.
One thing that I have learned about raising boys is to keep my "lectures" short and concise. I put my hand on his shoulder and I assured him that it was Ok to be scared. I reminded him that he loves baseball and has been waiting a long time for this chance to play. I encouraged him to push through this fear and try his best. I explained that it was Ok if he missed the ball when it was time to bat, or if he had to chase after it in the field. That is all part of learning how to play the game. I assured him that his coach was nice and was going to teach him how to play baseball....just like he was teaching the other kids on his team.
By this point, the rest of the team showed up to the dug out to transition to their turn for batting practice at home plate. The coach introduced Jersey #3 to his team, and they said hi to him. Jersey #3 buried his head in my abdomen. I gave him a hug and repositioned him on the other side of me, next to one of his teammates. I showed him that the other kids were all wearing the same shirt, like him, because they were a team. That peaked his interest. The coach gave the order to line up for batting practice and the team filed out of the dug out. With another dose of encouragement from me, Jersey #3 got up and walked out on the field and stood in line.
I joined Jersey #1 in the stands. Her game was scheduled for the following time slot. The other children were home with The Referee, as we are still keeping a low public profile during this point in Jersey #2's recovery. I filled Jersey #1 in on what was going on with Jersey #3. She understood.
And then we watched the love of sports and the encouragement from the assisting Dads help Jersey #3 overcome his fear of the spotlight.
While he was standing in line for his turn to bat, one of the Dads helping the Coach was demonstrating to Jersey #3 how to swing the bat. Jersey #3 was listening, with tears still falling. He obeyed the instructions and stood at home plate when it was his turn to bat. He hit the ball on the Coach's first pitch. The Coach and his helpers were shocked! They could not contain their surprise, and their comments were very encouraging.
One of the Dads helping out exclaimed, "Boy! Look at that hit. You are a natural."
The Coach said, "Let's see you do that again," and threw a second pitch. That hit was even more impressive. The 3rd hit was a tipped foul. The assisting Dad fielded the ball and gave it to Jersey #3 to throw back to the Coach. Jersey #3 has quite an arm on him....to the point that he has been forbidden from throwing a ball in our house from the time he was about 15 months old. So, his throw yielded even more encouraging comments about his "natural" baseball talent.
By this point, Jersey #3 was smiling from ear to ear. The tears were gone. He was ready to play in his very first official baseball game.
He hit the ball on the Coach's pitch each time he was up to bat. (That is pretty neat, because this age group usually uses a tee to hit the ball). He ran the bases with determination. He listened to all of the coaching advice from the Coach as well as the parent assistants from both teams. He did not appreciate the umpire touching him to physically adjust his batting stance though. He is big on personal space, and would like strangers to keep their distance. He gave everyone a high-five when he completed his first run.
When the first inning was over, he ran to me in the stands and shrieked in delight....
"Mom! Did you see how good I did?"
He didn't care that his announcement was so loud and so excited that the other parents in the stands could not help but chuckle. He paused for a second when he realized he had just drawn a ton of attention to himself. Then, he jumped up and down and exclaimed,
"I LOVE BASEBALL!!!!"
Then he turned and ran back to the dugout, ready for the next inning.
And I continued to jump up and down on the inside, so proud of the way he was able to overcome such a social challenge.
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