Today starts a new point in my life. My son starts Tee Ball today with their first practice. All my life I have been very much into sports and could hardly wait for the next season to start, whether it be baseball, basketball, football, or whatever. Now I'm going to have to shift gears and watch. I won't be able to play, no going all-out 110%, just watch :(.

Does anyone have advice for a parent who's first child is starting their own sports career? He's only 3 yrs. old but we've been practicing in the backyard. I'm not sure what the league will be like, having 3 & 4 year olds trying to play baseball might be pretty comical. I think they will just be doing basic fundamental stuff, but I know Baby Rock is very excited.

Wow, he's growing up quick ;)

From a parent of children in competitive sports for the last 15 years............don't coach him or critique his performance during practice or a game.. It will be the hardest thing you have ever done. :p

Congrats John.

My advice: badger the coach and berate the umps. ;)

btw. Y'all start em early up there. Our first baseball opportunities came in teeball at age 7.

Yeah, I thought it was a little soon myself, but DeLynn found this program with the local YMCA, and it's difficult to argue with a proud Mom. David has been talking about baseball ever since he started talking. And now that it's on TV almost every day, he's really into it. He likes to say, "Hit the ball way up high to the sky, and run to 1st base!"

From a parent of children in competitive sports for the last 15 years............don't coach him or critique his performance during practice or a game.. It will be the hardest thing you have ever done. :p



this could not be more true. From the kid perspective, the coaching and critiquing and badgering is what made me personally quit my favorite sport growing up. I just stopped playing. You wont want that for your son. Follow TwoPutt's advice, it'll be worth it in the long run.

I am sure the games will be instructional.

My son in T-ball was the funnest thing to watch. None of the boys [or girls] could run, throw or catch. In fact, at the first game, we had to teach them how to run to first base after they hit the ball.

Some would try to run to 3rd. One even ran back to the dugout.

My 6 yr old just finished up his first season of machine pitch.

They get 6 pitches to hit. When they do hit, they run the bases till the ball is in the infield. [so a ball not hit to the outfield is to only 1st base]

We did play if a runner was actually thrown out he had to leave the base [unlike t-ball where they all ran the bases]

By the end of the season, we actually started to play 3 outs with 7 run limits per inning. Personally I liked it when all the kids got to bat each inning.

They did play for over an hour instead of actually innings though. Sometimes they would play the last inning with 4 pitches to speed up and get one more inning in.

What ever you do,

Never yell at any of the kids for screwing up.

Alway cheer BOTH teams kids when they play.

We even cheered a players name when they did something good.

Take the shut up advice. its a blast. when my son started, he was 4 and played in the Y league. its so increadibly fun. Jus take him in that back yard and keep playin catch wih him. Congrats. This will be fun for you

:cool:Yup. That's my boy!

There were 8 or 9 kids who showed up to play, and Baby Rock was about the 3rd smallest. He showed good promise at the plate by knocking a few out of the infield, but on defense, WOW! That boy got right in the middle of the scrum each time a ball came his way, and most of the time, he came up with the ball! Even the biggest kid on the field never stopped him, in fact David was mocking him and even pushed him out of his way once or twice (I guess David's 9 year old brother does have a positive affect on him ;)). Then when the coach had all the kids run the bases, David ran around 5 or 6 extra times. Fun stuff!