Lets' Play Ball

I signed Lolly up for fall softball yesterday. She's been playing fall and spring ball since 4th grade. I ask before every season, "do you want to play softball this season" to which she replies, to my dismay sometimes, "yes".

We've run the gamut of experiences from the first season when actual tears where shed because the season ended to wanting to quit mid-way through the season. We've had good coaches, bad coaches, competent coaches, incompetent coaches, over involved parents, cool parents. Each season is different.

I've watched Lolly have good seasons and bad seasons, like teammates, dislike teammates, and at times realize that she was too quick to judge, categories, or write-off a teammate. I've noticed that she plays better when she feels her coach believes in her and the wheels fall off if she feels the coach doesn't think she's a good player.

I may not always look forward to practices and games but I like the life lessons softball is teaching her. Whenever we are talking about an issue, I always relate to the work world for her. She's learned that she'll have good bosses and bad bosses and she needs to learn to work with both. She'll have good co-workers and bad co-workers and she'll need to know how to succeed regardless. She's learned that you can't just quite when you have other's depending on you and you have to believe in yourself even if you feel nobody else does.

I wonder what lesson will be learned this season? I just hope it involves very little drama...