I’ve mentioned it before, but our family is a baseball family. Of course, my boys really love baseball, but even my little girls love to get out there with us and play the game. For us, it creates an opportunity for several important things that might not otherwise happen in our family. Here’s just a few:
- It gives you time with your kids. Most of our lives are terribly busy. We live with the tyranny of the urgent. And unfortunately, it often decreases the time we have with our kids. Taking a ball outside with them creates the much needed time that our kids need with us. These are the moments that will shape them most. And, these are the moments that they will remember most.
- It creates fun moments with them. There are plenty of non-fun things that we have to do with our kids (homework, teeth brushing, chores, driving, etc.). If we aren’t careful, we lose the moments of fun and laughter that help us to bond. Baseball, or any other sport for that matter, gives us those moments.
- It helps boost confidence. As a dad of four and a coach of 22, I see a lot of kids that are afraid of the ball. But something magical happens when they learn how to catch, throw and hit a ball. They develop a confidence that often translates into other things as well. Taking the time to teach them and enjoy this with them can do much more than we might think.
- It gets them, and you, outside. I know I sound old here, but when I was a kid we lived outside. Not so today. I have nothing against video games, but good grief, we better put them down before they destroy us. Get outside. See the world. Enjoy God’s creation. Get some exercise. Live! A ball can help you do that, and your kids can benefit from it.
- It shows them that you love them. Most of all, taking the time to invest in your child by throwing a ball, or anything like this, shows them that they mean something to you and that you love them. There’s hardly anything more important to them that you can show them.
So, summer is here. Let’s go throw a ball!
