A Two-fer
We had an AWESOME family day today. We were lazy for a few hours this morning, then I took the boys to Target to buy a bike rack for the car. We loaded our bikes up and drove downtown to Belle Isle. We put the boys in their stroller that hooks onto my bike, then road over the foot bridge and made our way out to the rocks. We hadn't come prepared to splash around in the water, but Levi and I stripped down to our cargo shorts and jumped in. The water level was low enough not to require a life vest, but high enough to have a fun current and deep enough water to swim in. We found a little eddy surrounded by rocks to play in. Levi stood on the rocks and jumped to me in the water. It was a lot of fun. Titus and Christina put their feet in, but they mostly enjoyed eating the snacks.
We were there with the tattooed, drinking, college-aged crowd and, I'll be perfectly honest, it was a lot of fun. Yes, there was some unfortunate language, but everyone there shared the space on the rocks, met and mingled with other tattooed dog owners, etc. It was just a really fun atmosphere.
After Belle Isle the boys slept for a while, then we went to Matt Stinnett's graduation party. I'll miss Matt a lot. He's the last of the original youth groupers when Christina and I arrived in Richmond. He's a great, talented, and really funny guy.
After the party we went to Glory Day's Grill to watch the Yankees/Red Sox game on the big screen. The Yanks are up 9-3. Now we're home. Titus is in bed, Christina and Levi are preparing for a slumber party in our bed, and I'm listening to the end of the game.
What a day.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tonight we were at a party and talked with a guy about his 10-year old son who is playing baseball in a 12-year old league. He talked about all the driving they have to do taking him to his baseball lessons. He pays $1 per minute for his son to get special coaching from a guy who used to play for the Cubs. A woman who was in on the conversation said she'd get him the number of a guy who will come to your house and work with your child in your own backyard.
I looked over at Levi, our 3-year old, and Titus, our 1-year old, and thought, 'I'm never selling someone the right to teach my sons how to play the game of baseball. If ever there was a job for a father, that's it!'
Tuckahoe Little League sits directly behind our house. In fact the lights are on and fans are cheering even as I write. Soon they're building an indoor training facility there that you can start taking your child to as early as 5 years old. NO THANKS! There's something about a 5-year old taking the game that seriously that makes me cringe.
My stance, as I explained to Christina over dinner, is this: if in high school it appears that Levi or Titus have a real shot at moving to the next level in the game of baseball but they just need that extra work to help them get there, I'll consider outside training. Otherwise, we're hanging a tire in the backyard, taking a bucket of balls to an open field, and learning the game the way it's supposed to be learned.
I'm sticking to my guns for as long as I can. I know the pressure is there to make your sons play a little better than the rest, but baseball is too pure a game to spoil by making 10-year olds treat it like a career. Maybe that's what it takes to make it "big" these days, but I'm not ready to sacrifice that time with my boys.
We were there with the tattooed, drinking, college-aged crowd and, I'll be perfectly honest, it was a lot of fun. Yes, there was some unfortunate language, but everyone there shared the space on the rocks, met and mingled with other tattooed dog owners, etc. It was just a really fun atmosphere.
After Belle Isle the boys slept for a while, then we went to Matt Stinnett's graduation party. I'll miss Matt a lot. He's the last of the original youth groupers when Christina and I arrived in Richmond. He's a great, talented, and really funny guy.
After the party we went to Glory Day's Grill to watch the Yankees/Red Sox game on the big screen. The Yanks are up 9-3. Now we're home. Titus is in bed, Christina and Levi are preparing for a slumber party in our bed, and I'm listening to the end of the game.
What a day.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Tonight we were at a party and talked with a guy about his 10-year old son who is playing baseball in a 12-year old league. He talked about all the driving they have to do taking him to his baseball lessons. He pays $1 per minute for his son to get special coaching from a guy who used to play for the Cubs. A woman who was in on the conversation said she'd get him the number of a guy who will come to your house and work with your child in your own backyard.
I looked over at Levi, our 3-year old, and Titus, our 1-year old, and thought, 'I'm never selling someone the right to teach my sons how to play the game of baseball. If ever there was a job for a father, that's it!'
Tuckahoe Little League sits directly behind our house. In fact the lights are on and fans are cheering even as I write. Soon they're building an indoor training facility there that you can start taking your child to as early as 5 years old. NO THANKS! There's something about a 5-year old taking the game that seriously that makes me cringe.
My stance, as I explained to Christina over dinner, is this: if in high school it appears that Levi or Titus have a real shot at moving to the next level in the game of baseball but they just need that extra work to help them get there, I'll consider outside training. Otherwise, we're hanging a tire in the backyard, taking a bucket of balls to an open field, and learning the game the way it's supposed to be learned.
I'm sticking to my guns for as long as I can. I know the pressure is there to make your sons play a little better than the rest, but baseball is too pure a game to spoil by making 10-year olds treat it like a career. Maybe that's what it takes to make it "big" these days, but I'm not ready to sacrifice that time with my boys.
posted by CoryJones at 10:45 PM
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