For those of you out there raising girls, I feel for you. It is much harder than I anticipated. No, not just because of the sighing and eye-rolling thing they do. All drama aside, it's walking a fine line with girls and sports. I want my daughters to be tough, but not b*&^$y. They should play for the team, but never shy away from showing their individual talents. Playing on a team helps them practice skills they will need throughout life like hard work, humility, and the healthy expression of human emotion.
This season, we celebrated a win in our first ever tournament and took home a nice medal as a spoil of war. The generous folks at Old Station One even picked up the tab for some ice cream after the game. I also helped Ellen work through the tough games and her first shot of putting herself on the line--well, more like the mound--with all eyes on her. She gave pitching a try this year despite her apprehension. She did great!
I often have to leave the games early as I am toting the other two with me. Natalie gets ornery when she kills her iPod battery and Sam resembles the Tar Baby after playing King of the Hill on the dirt mound. (Picture below on the blog--notice that his shirt says Prince Charming). Early this season, I did just that--came home early when Ellen was at it on the mound, but they were safely ahead by 4 runs. When she walked in I exclaimed, "How's the Super Star Pitcher doing?" I looked up to find my husband behind her making a choking gesture with his hands. Whoops. I had to nurse her broken heart that night as she told me that she "lost the game for the team" and walked in the last 5 runs for the other team to win--her friend Kara's team, nonetheless. That was actually harder to heal than the line drive she took to the shin the other day. Look closely and you'll see the lace marks of the softball on her leg. Yes, Slovenians, I did photograph it. People in America photograph injuries all the time because we are, well, lawsuit happy here in The States. I took the picture to remind Ellen of how badly something can hurt, and that most all things heal in time.
To the parents of the players, thanks for letting them play. Thanks for all the running back and forth to practice, and sitting your behinds on uncomfortable bleachers in all kinds of weather. Your daughters undoubtedly learned many of life's lessons this season. That is what this blog is all about--life's lessons. We finished up about 500 this season, which is just about what I would have chosen for a team of ten year olds if I could have. We won some, we lost some, we got hot, hurt, and learned the most annoying dug-out chants in the universe. These girls learned what it is like to play on a team, and we are all teammates folks, whether you like it or not. We wear the colors of the Human Nation. Thanks for giving your little ladies a chance to learn what it is like to be human.
Thanks for a great season. Click on the words "youtube" and it will take you to a nice photo display of the season. In the end, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.
Smack! Home Run!
Eloise--Your #1 Fan
No comments:
Post a Comment