Sometimes They Don’t Show Up
Image by The Celebrated Mr. K via Flickr
One of the most valuable lessons that Little League teaches, more than other sports I believe, is that if you don’t show up, you can’t win. Kids are good at this, they show up thinking they will win, take an opponent light, or simply don’t give it their all. When they do this it is during a big game our tournament and inevitably they lose.
Great life lesson, hard for the parents to take. We have to remember that this is why we sign them up, to learn tough lessons like this.
What is the toughest lesson your kid has ever learned in sports?
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The hardest lesson I ever learned during Little League was to get my homework and household chores done.
My dad wouldn’t take me to practice one time because I hadn’t finished my homework and cleaning my room. He knew it was the one thing that would absolutely devastate me, and ultimately, force me to more accountable and responsible.
That is a great way to discipline. Had you played for me, it would not have ended there. Missing practice unexcused would have meant that you didn’t start the next game. If it were a repeating problem, you would have been benched for the whole game.
This was a valuable lesson, and apparently you got the hint!
Other’s punish by not letting a kid go to a game. I completely disagree w/ this tactic. That punishes the team as well as the kid. Don’t punish the whole team. I have seen teams have to forfeit because a kid couldn’t play because he was being punished.
If you sign up for a team, commit and be there for a team. Take away something else, not baseball, (other than practice). Take away the entire next season if you must, but not a game during the current season, that is just teaching poor teamwork skills.
However, I think if you take away a game from a player it really can have such a tremendous effect, especially if the child is mature. Not only does the kid feel bad because he/she doesn’t get an opportunity to play, but he/she must also deal with the guilt associated with letting down all of his/her teammates.
Of course, I would only advocate this for a serious offense, and I would be sure to let the coach know in advance, so he/she is able to adequately make adjustments.
What about when the team doesn’t have enough players for the game? Do you then say, “well, I was going to not let you play, but now I will”. Isn’t that a mixed lesson? We may have to agree to disagree on this, because it is not right to penalize the other 11 players on the team because of an offense outside of the game.
In ‘04 I took over a Major’s team that had won the league championship the previous two years. I had to draft last and add nine new players – a daunting task but one with realistic expectations, probably getting thumped on a lot. My 12 y.o. son was our best pitcher and always wanted the low & away strike called for him when he hurled. However, when batting, that same pitch was to be called a ball. Well, frustrated with the losing season, he was called out on a strike low and away. He stormed back to the dugout, threw his helmet down and called the umpire an a-hole. Now blue didn’t hear it but the rest of our team and my coaches did. I immediately told him to leave the dugout and the field, he was done for the game. He had to walk out alone & embarrased in front of parents and spectators. My wfe wouldn’t talk to me for a week; his grandparents for a month. Bottomline – my son cried but said it’s the best thing that could have been done at the time for him as tough as this was. He said if I had just pulled him from the line-up and sat him on the bench he would have continued to be mad and disruptive and saying inappropriate things. It was a hard lesson but a lesson that he learned well.
awesome! I had a similar situation at practice this week. I told a girl to hustle she gave me that “yeah right” look, I gave you the “are you crazy” look and told her “I said hustle”, she looked me right in the eye and gave me that “phsffss” attitude, I told her to get out of the dugout. She never came back unfortunately.
You simply can’t show up a coach or an umpire, it is not tolerated. Unfortunately, this child was allowed to quit, but that’s the chance you take.