today i'm the bug
 

some days you're the bug others you're the windshield.

tough weekend in kid's sports. need to get some perspective and take a deep breath.

why is it things that bring so much joy can also bring so much stress?

I call it caring. To a fault at times, but caring nonetheless.

.....time to get out on the water and hunt for more rockfish.
Bill K

Take heart. My daughter loves swimming. She's about as fast as a drunk manatee, but she loves it.

Just remember it is only a game. It teaches kids how to win and lose properly and that sometimes life isn't fair. Good lessons for everyone involved.

4/23 trophy rock trip on the bay!

Watching my son play football in the 3rd and 4th grade was tedious because he was one of the smallest ones on the field, and not overly fast.....fast forward to his sophmore year (this past season) starting on offense and defense for the high school team and really making a difference. He is now an inch taller than me (5'11" and 175 lbs) and plays on the O/D line. he stands up the opposition that outweigh him by 100 lbs, and is quick enough to get a couple sacks. too....exciting to watch now.

Thanks for the sentiments all. It is indeed a learning opportunity for both my boy AND myself.

I didn't care how our son played, all I asked was that he gave 100%. That's what you want them to do in life.

If they follow that approach they won't be far off target.

I LOL'd.

Watching my 9-year-old son play soccer...well, any sport at all...is incredibly painful. Hopefully some day he'll find a physical activity that he enjoys AND is good at.

Not all life's lessons are about winning!!!

Last team I coached there was a very withdrawn young lady on the squad. She had lost her parents and was trying to cope with a new life being raised by grandparents. I like to think I helped her come out of her shell. She learned that life is not all about loss but is about teamwork and moving towards a shared goal. At the end of the season she had gone from a little girl who knew nothing of life or sports to a leader in the league who knew what it meant to lose everything! She went from my worst player to my second best player, top four or five in the league! Last I heard she was top in girl's softball!

She went from losing everything to learning about sharing, friends, and winning.

Sometimes learning about losing is what makes us the better person and more able to excel. I like to think that is what happened to that little girl!

good to be introspective, well done. More parents should be.

Me too LOL'd! :-D

Same for my son.
He failed in almost every sport. I did not care.
He played inline-hockey for 2 1/2 year, attended every trainingsession (99%). Many of his teammates did not show up when the session was known to be boring.
Nevertheless he was not in the start team the third year (but new players where) and backed out by himself two years ago.

Now he started playing icehockey and it is a big difference. He is doing very good! he is almost 13 and organizes his trainingschedule and how to get there by himself.
Now he also swims, rides and plays guitar.

Just have patience!

When our daughter first started playing fast pitch softball she still ran like a toddler and it was hard to watch sometimes, but she has now gotten to be a pretty fast runner. She still has some issues throwing but playing 2nd base she has a decent glove and doesn't have to throw far. She has found something she loves and is decent at but the school or city league doesn't have a shooting club. At 12 she could hit a coke can at 20 yards about 50% of the time off hand with a hand spoon.

'nuff said!

Amen to that. Try your hardest, never give up, be a team player, be a leader, the harder you work the better you get. All great reasons why my kids all play sports of their choosing.

My oldest son (now 11) was frustrating in his early years of sports, he was very passive and afraid to make a mistake. We had a lot of hard conversations about giving your all. Today he is very aggressive and very good at football, very aggressive and decent at basketball, and still somewhat tense when playing baseball. He's one of the best fielders on the team but still a very passive hitter in games, and while a decent pitcher he has a lot more to give. It gets better, just be patient and always try to keep it fun for them.

That right there.

He loves the game. Has a great mind for it in that he almost always makes the right play, is very cool at the plate and never throws a fit when he fails. Watching him play ball, particularly behind the plate, is one of my greatest joys.

He's making noise again about football in the fall and I'm inclined to finally let him start playing some tackle ball. That and some boxing this summer will help to keep perspective and keep him in shape.

My son started playing flag football at 5, and tackle football at 8. Tackle football seemed to give him more confidence in other sports, and unlocked aggression that he hadn't shown previously. After tackle football he became a much more aggressive basketball player, despite only being average height he is by far the best rebounder simply because he's not afraid to bang around down low. Most importantly, he freaking loves football.