Baseball season ended

K

Kjs

Guest
difficult child had their second round playoff's the other day. Played against the undefeated team. This other team has beaten other teams like 25 - 0. difficult child asked me if I thought they would lose. I just told him he had a great year, and pointed out all the good things he had going this year. Did tell him that the other team is very good.

Ok. They play 7 innings. Pitchers can only pitch 3 innings.
Our first pitcher struck out the first nine batters for his three innings.
difficult child's team was winning 3 - 0 bottom of the 6th. Other team scored 4 runs that inning. Top of the 7th(last inning) difficult child's team ties it. Bottom of the 7th. difficult child's team loses.
It was exciting. But also embarrassing, as difficult child cannot handle losing. There is this big crowd routing for his team. Other baseball team routing for them... and difficult child is in the outfield bad mouthing his team. Everything he said was negative. I had to walk over to the fence and tell him to keep his comments to himself and get his head in the game. (he did do good)

husband told me that while difficult child was at practice prior to the game, husband was watching an earlier game. Another parent asked if his son was playing, and he told him he played the later game. The other parent asked who his son was. When husband told him this other man said, "Oh, the animated one". husband said, "well, that's a nice way of putting it". This is a parent from another team that we don't even know. Yet Everyone knows difficult child. They all know his actions. Very sad that he has this reputation, yet does nothing to change it. He promises before every game he won't act like a jerk. But does so anyway.

difficult child had atleast one hit in every game but 4 this year. Most of them doubles. Had many RBI's. Hit the fence 3 times, bounced one over once. Caught many fly balls on the run. Threw out many players. (has an accurate strong arm) He was voted (by his teammates) as an All Star. They won a mini tournament. He had so much to be happy for, but always seems to act so terrible when they fall behind, or make an error or lose. Just SO embarrassing.

Fall league begins the first week in August and runs through October. Major league size field. He was told by someone if he wants to hit it out of the infield he will have to start lifting weights. (he is not a big kid) So...I expect he will be acting up, whining, throwing his helmet and bat around.

How can you teach them to accept it, be thankful he gets to play.
What can you say to get it into their head that hey just need to be happy they are able to play???
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
Oh boy I sure understand.

First of all, we are in the middle of our playoffs. It's double elimination so we won Monday night, lost Tuesday night, won a double header yesterday and we play again tonight. If we win tonight we are in the championship on Saturday. Last year our team won the championship.

I have found that maturity and peer pressure corrects a lot of this behavior. We continued to talk to difficult child about her behavior on the field and comments other parents were making. We heard our share of animated comments. Finally my husband decided to manage the team and has done so for the past three years. That way he can monitor difficult child better and make sure he somewhat controlled what went on.

I wouldn't go back to this age for anything in the world. If you can keep your difficult child involved in sports hopefully he will learn how to behave. I know it doesn't look that way now and we use to cringe at some of our difficult child's antics. But they do grow up and somehow they finally see what reaction they are getting and if they want to fit in they have to change that behavior.

Congratulations on a good season.

Nancy

 
This could work to your benefit!

tell him he might need to EAT to get BIG AND STRONG if he wants to hit one out of the park. yHe'll put on a little weight, you'd be killing two birds with one stone.

As far as him throwing a fit when the team loses, I firmly believe that he means it with all his heart when he promises he won't do it. I don't think he can stop himself. It's automatic, it's a reaction, and once it starts, it is hard to stop. Perhaps Nancy is right, as he gets older, if his peers start giving him grief for acting this way, (peers' opinions matter SO much more to teens than their parents' opinions), maybe he will be able to stop himself.

Good luck, and congrats to him for going as far as he did.
 
K

Kjs

Guest
I didn't get to see him play for two years due to second shift. I think I had more fun than anyone. I lost my voice on Tuesday's game. Going right down to the very last inning.
I missed out on everything he did working second shift. There is one boy on his team whose parents never came to a single game. Dropped him off and picked him up. That boy had few hits, but when he did hit it - it was a big one. Like he hit one over the fence and had nobody there to see it. I think that is so sad.
 
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