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Be patient! Children at play!
With baseball and softball season in full swing here in Thomasville now, my most recent grandfather watching granddaughter outings have been at the ball park where she is participating in five and six year old T-ball. I have always had reservations about encouraging or allowing children to start playing organized sports at such an early age for fear they may burn out on them prematurely, causing them to stop playing in later years when they should be the most active. One of my greatest concerns in that area has always been the pressure parents, grandparents, and others might put on these young children to perform at a level that is above their capabilities and for that matter their interest. Unfortunately, sometimes even those who are coaching the teams these youngsters are playing on put too much pressure on them. In the last few years the newspapers, television news broadcasts and other media outlets have carried stories about incidents where parents, spectators and coaches alike have lost control at youth sporting events and acted totally inappropriately, sometimes even to the point of committing violent acts. I am proud to tell you from what I have seen in the youth baseball and softball leagues in general and specifically in the T-ball league here in Thomasville, we are blessed to have folks working with these young people who are putting the best interest of the children first. Having spent many years in the past myself coaching in the summer baseball leagues in Thomasville, I know how important it is to teach the fundamentals of the game to those you are working with so that as they grow older and move from one level to the next, they will be able to experience success. T-ball however is a completely different animal, so to speak, and something I was never involved in. When my two sons were that age there were no such leagues here. Instead their participation in the game at that age was limited to our backyard where the entire family was involved in learning and playing the game while making it a fun experience. Many times the crowd in the backyard included other children from the neighborhood and on some occasions their parents as well. Although it wasn't as organized as what Allie is participating in now it accomplished the same purpose. And that is to teach the game at a pace the children can learn it while letting them play for the shear fun of it. That is exactly what I see happening in the T-ball league here, now. The coaches are teaching those participating some of the most basic of fundamentals but are not letting even that interfere with the children simply having fun. From what I've seen, their patience with each child has been exemplary and their ability to help each child find some degree of success in some of the most unlikely situations, refreshing. To them I tip my hat and say thanks for what they are doing. As for the rest of us, parents, grandparents, and any other interested parties, let me simply say be patient when you are at the ballpark, there are children at play!
Until next time.......be safe!
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