Question for fathers of young athletes

[Tre]

I've got a little girl who's got God-given talent (she didn't get it from me or her mom, that's for sure!) for softball/baseball.

But, although she loved to practice her first two seasons, she *hated* it this year and would generally flat-out refuse anytime I suggested we go out and play catch.  Batting practice was a bit less challenging, but even with that, we only went out a few times that weren't with the team.

Meanwhile, one of her teammates is hitting the batting cage 3-4x/week, even during the season, and is always out playing catch with her brothers.

At yesterday's skills competition for the league, the other little girl beat my kiddo in hitting and even took away her throwing title that she'd won the previous year.  My kid won the base-running, of course, but her speed is just always there.

Everyone around the league is always telling my daughter how good she is, and she's started to believe it.  I'm guilty of this, too, but I also stress that she still has to WORK if and wants to continue to be good.  I'm always telling her that natural talent can only take her so far.

"Dad, I don't need to practice, I'm already good!" she said to me the other day.

*groan*

Naturally, my daughter is a little upset that she didn't take 1st place in all 3 events.  I'm leaning towards NOT saying that the other girl worked harder, but my question for you is...am I giving up a potentially valuable teaching moment by not referencing the other player?

Additional note: I'm fully to blame for not moving her up to the higher division for this season, but I thought it would be good for her to be in a leadership role on her team and felt that would be more beneficial to her in the long run.

[Sir Humphrey]

BLA BLA BLA BLA BLA

This thread is useless without pics of musclemen and ought to be deleted. 

[Tre]

This thread is useless without pics of musclemen and ought to be deleted. 

Hush your mouth.   

My kid is a future GetBigger!   























Actually, she's already a member....but don't tell her mom!   

[Boost]

She'll figure it out that practice is needed in order to maintain and develop skills.

Let her work it out on her own.

Remember,

Theres nothing worse than pushy parents

[dr.chimps]

She'll figure it out that practice is needed in order to maintain and develop skills.

Let her work it out on her own.

Remember,

Theres nothing worse than pushy parents

Pushy!? What you say about the father of that Dokic(sp) tennis player. Guy's been an asshole on and around the the woman's tour for years, and last week(?) he was arrested for possessing bomb-making equipment!! WTF!     

[Boost]

Pushy!? What you say about the father of that Dokic(sp) tennis player. Guy's been an asshole on and around the the woman's tour for years, and last week(?) he was arrested for possessing bomb-making equipment!! WTF!     

That sounds extreme,

I don't like seeing a kid who doesn't look interested, and an overbearing parent (usually father) pushing the kid into something they just don't love.

A lot of the time, the parent is trying to live their own dreams through their child, regardless of the child's wishes.

[240 is Back]

i plan on getting my kid on a nice 19-nor/enanthate stack by the time he's 5.  He'll be pwning those bitches on the soccer field.

[dr.chimps]

i plan on getting my kid on a nice 19-nor/enanthate stack by the time he's 5.  He'll be pwning those bitches on the soccer field.

All well and good, Rob, but you'd be best be imparting some practical advice on not melting down and not being soood. That would be doing the youngster a real solid.   

[Tre]

She'll figure it out that practice is needed in order to maintain and develop skills.

Let her work it out on her own.

Remember,

Theres nothing worse than pushy parents

Yeah, I don't wanna be that guy.  If I had my way, we'd be playing tennis every day and I'd already have her playing basketball.  She's a good (not great) tennis player and wants to get back into it, but golf is her new thing.  That's great for me, cuz I like to play, but I don't have the ability to teach her golf. 

I hate baseball and softball, but that's what she's great at, so that's what she enjoys doing.  So, I try to be the good dad by offering  to play catch with her and stuff. 

My parents were very supportive when it came to athletics, but I always felt they weren't pushy enough.  In school, I knew a lot of scholarship athletes who were thankful their parents had pushed them as much as they did. 

For me, anything worth doing is worth doing well and I want her to adopt that same philosophy as she grows up.

[Boost]

Yeah, I don't wanna be that guy.  If I had my way, we'd be playing tennis every day and I'd already have her playing basketball.  She's a good (not great) tennis player and wants to get back into it, but golf is her new thing.  That's great for me, cuz I like to play, but I don't have the ability to teach her golf. 

I hate baseball and softball, but that's what she's great at, so that's what she enjoys doing.  So, I try to be the good dad by offering  to play catch with her and stuff. 

My parents were very supportive when it came to athletics, but I always felt they weren't pushy enough.  In school, I knew a lot of scholarship athletes who were thankful their parents had pushed them as much as they did. 

For me, anything worth doing is worth doing well and I want her to adopt that same philosophy as she grows up.

I don't think there's anything wrong in pushing a child a little if they show some genuine interest, but are kinda gettin lazy about practicing etc.

It's those times when the kid clearly isn't interested when parents should just let it be.

In your case it sounds like it wouldn't hurt to push a little. You don't sound like the kinda guy who would dominate a child's sporting interests. It's a fine balance between letting talent slip away, and being "that guy" who's screaming instructions and tactics from the sidelines

[dr.chimps]

For me, anything worth doing is worth doing well and I want her to adopt that same philosophy as she grows up.

'If something is hard to do, it's not worth doing' - H. Simpson 

[polychronopolous]

I'm not saying that it's right to be an asshole dad and force your kid to practice all the time when he doesn't want to....

But the guys who only have 3 daughters because they weren't man enough to produce a son.....and then force their daughters to practice day and night to further their "softball careers"......to me THOSE guys are the ultimate douchebags.