What About My Child?

In hopes of creating superathletes, some parents push their children to practice 2 or more hours every day from the time they are 8 or 9 years old. Few children have the natural desire to pursue anything baseball or other activities with that degree of dedication. Children whose whole lives are built around a sport miss out on other important aspects of growing up. Consequently, they all too often "burn out" or come to resent the sport and the adults who pressured them to play.

Little League should not demand all of your child's leisure time. She or he should have the opportunity to learn other sports and recreational skills as well as to attend to schoolwork and the natural pursuits of youth. We urge you once again to let your children determine the degree of his or her commitment to Little League without pressure from you or the coach.

For most 8-year-olds, two or three 1 hour practices a week and one or two games is about right The season should not be too long, either 8 to 12 weeks is enough. As a child's age, skill, fitness, and interest increase, so too can the length and frequency of practices and games.

What is the risk of injury to my child in Little League?

We know that injuries constitute one of parents' foremost concerns, and rightly so. Injuries seem to be inevitable in any rigorous activity, especially if players are new to the sport and unfamiliar with its demands. But because of the safety precautions taken in Little League, severe injuries such as bone fractures are infrequent. Most injuries are sprains and strains, abrasions and cuts and bruises. The risk of serious injury in Little League Baseball is far less than the risk of riding a skateboard, a bicycle, or even the school bus.

Can I help my child's performance through her or his diet?

Not only can you help your child perform, you can help him or her establish healthy eating habits for life. Explain to your Little Leaguer that the body is like an engine; it runs as well as the fuel it has to burn. "Junk food" is junk fuel, which causes the engine to sputter. "High performance" fuel comes from a diet that's good for all of us one high in complex carbohydrates (60%) and low in fat (20%) and protein (20%).

Can Little League be too stressful for my child?

It can be, if your child is made to feel that self-worth depends on how she or he plays baseball. When the things most important to your child such as love and approval are made contingent on how well he or she hits and fields, your child is likely to experience high levels of stress. But fortunately, research has shown, this doesn't happen very often. For the great majority of children, baseball is no more stressful than many other activities in which they participate. When coaches and parents keep winning in proper perspective, Little League rarely causes too much stress.

But what if my child appears to be overly stressed?

Begin by talking with your child, and perhaps to the coach, to uncover the cause of the problem. Almost always the stress is caused by anxiety about how the coach, teammates, or you will feel about your child if she or he performs poorly. Help your Little Leaguer understand that striving to win is important, but that his or her worthiness as a person is not determined by how well he or she plays or whether the team wins or loses the game. When young people know that their self-worth is not determined by their batting averages or fielding percentages, they are likely to fin Little League to be overly stressful.

Can my child care too much about Little League?

It is good for children to be committed to activities like baseball, to care about how they perform, and to push themselves to achieve excellence. Developing commitment is a useful lifetime skill. Let your child care, and care with your child. But sometimes children care too much: They equate their self-worth with winning and losing, they mope around the house endlessly after a loss, they ignore their other responsibilities. When this occurs, it is your job to help your child put things in perspective.

What do I say after a game when my child did not play well?

Sometimes it's hard to know what to say to your child after a disappointing outcome. When children know they did not play well, they don't want to be told "You played great!" And when they have just lost a game they do not want to hear "It's really not important." At the moment , it is important to them, and they expect to be permitted the dignity of their unhappiness.

Although parents mean well, comments like these sound superficial and reflect a lack of sincerity. Children seem to have a built-in apparatus for detecting "phony" comments, and they resent them deeply. When parents are insincere or provide false praise, the child learns to place less value on their words and later may be unable to get full satisfaction from deserved praise. In short, be generous with praise and sparing with criticism, but don't be a phony.

Should parents attend practices and games?

Attending a few practices during the season so you can see what your child is learning is a good idea, but always being there may not be. We encourage you to attend all your Little Leaguer's games, but if your presence appears to make your child nervous, it may be better not to go to the games until your child gains more confidence in her or his playing abilities. The best way to find out if you should attend practices and games is to ask your child if he or she would like you to come!

What if my child misbehaves?

Throughout this guide we have placed most of the burden for a successful sport program on adults you as the parent and your child's coach. But sometimes children misbehave they break the rules or are uncooperative, uncontrollable, or irresponsible. Children should be helped to understand that they have obligations to their parents and to the coach when they become part of the Little League team. They are responsible for cooperating with coaches and teammates, for being prompt to practice and games, and for managing their own conduct. When children misbehave, the coach has some right and responsibility to discipline them. Ultimately, however, the responsibility to discipline belongs to you, you must fulfill it wisely.

Little league encourages awards of honor certificates, team pictures, and inexpensive medals or pins at the end of the season. Are these awards desirable?

Children wish to be recognized for their accomplishments just as adults do. Giving children recognition for their achievements is fine as long as the rewards are not extravagant and they are awarded fairly. The danger in these practices occurs when children lose perspective about the significance of such recognition, wanting to play only when tangible rewards are at stake. You need to help your child see these rewards merely as recognition for past accomplishments, not guarantees of future success. Your child needs to realize that these extrinsic rewards are only one benefit of sport participation and that the more important outcomes are the intrinsic rewards of fun and satisfaction.

© Copyright 1993, Human Kinetics Publishers, Inc.