One of the most disturbing things I see on a regular basis at the ballpark are the comments I hear parents making about their own kids.
On one hand, I hear parents bragging like crazy when their kid is doing well. On the other, I hear the same parents dogging their own kid when they struggle.
Are you the parent who brings unwanted attention to your daughter’s performance when she struggles?
You are creating a monster that will haunt your kid forever when you:
- Act like you are embarrassed
- Pout
- Storm away to mope in the parking lot
- “Joke” about your daughter’s struggles
It’s never good when your daughter knows that she can count on you to show the world your butt when she struggles.
It’s human nature to be disappointed when your child strikes out, but that doesn’t make the above actions OK. Don’t let your own fears and insecurity impact your kid and her performance on the field.
Guess what? When she strikes out, she already knows about it and seeing you throw a fit isn’t going to make her next at-bat any more likely to be a success.
This game is already pretty darned hard to play. Hitting is already very difficult. The best, and HAPPIEST, players have a strong support network that allows them to fail and learn from it rather than fear it. Everyone fails in this game, do we want it to lead to more success or more pressure?