It’s here
February 1, 2023
That time is upon us. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s softball season.
My daughter has been playing softball for the last 10 years. She’s good. And I’m not saying that because I’m her mom. Ask the majority of her coaches, and they’ll agree. She’s a team player. She’s a power hitter. She can play every position, with the exception of pitching (she’s a catcher). The stats back my claims up… and I should know, because I’m always the book keeper for her teams.
Softball has been the only thing that has stuck. She’s tried pretty much everything else. Soccer - got hit in the face with a soccer ball (on picture day), and that was the end of soccer. Volleyball - she’s decent, she can serve, but she lost interest after a few months. Basketball - even though she’s short, she’s better than I am (I am terrible at basketball, proving that just because you’re tall doesn’t mean you can play), and she made the team in middle school, but she just didn’t have the spark for it. Acting - she got one of the lead rolls in the two plays she was in, one in drama club in school and one in our local acting company, she said that it was more work than softball, especially considering that it was a 6 week run with shows Fri-Sun. Tennis - she played in after school in elementary, and she liked it okay, but not enough to pursue it. But softball… that’s her jam.
With exception of the fall when she was in the Acting Company, she’s played non stop since she was 6. That changed this summer. I’ve told her from the beginning, I will not force her to play. I will not force her to be on any certain team. It’s her decision. I want her to be happy. Last year, she decided to leave the team she was on for another because they were “more prestigious”… also WAY more expensive. That turned out to be a HUGE mistake. When the summer season started, after HS ball, the coach broke her. I don’t really want to go into details, but let’s just say that, even though I do make her honor her commitments, I let her quit, but whenever she’s left a team after a season, I always try to do so nicely. Not this time. I burned that bridge to the ground.
After she quit her last team, her fire dimmed. It didn’t go out, but almost. She guested a couple times for her prior team from 2021, but didn’t want to commit to the season with them. She still does weekly lessons with one of the best instructors around. But she decided that she wants to play HS ball, then take the summer off and go back to travel in the Fall. Part of my is disappointed, however, I won’t lie, it’s nice not having to pay and drive and do all of the thing that comes with being a travel softball mom.
All of that is to say, today was the HS softball parents meeting. She’s back to practicing daily, weather permitted. The first tournament is the 18th, just two weeks away. Then it’ll be games 3 to 4 days a week until May, June if they make the playoffs. I really wish she’d get her license because playing driver and pack mule is tiring. It’s crockpots and even less sleep for me!
At least I don’t have to pay for HS.