Do you "do" kids' baseball season?

Our youngest son just started farm league this year after we had taken the past 3 summers off (they were bored w/teeball). Our oldest son played till he was "too old" to play at 12 yrs old.

In addition to ds3 playing baseball, all 3 of the boys golf (clinics AND tournaments) and ds2 & 3 fly r/c planes 3-5X a week w/dh. Our 3 yr old daughter gets LOTS of playground (at baseball practices & upcoming games) time, running around at the r/c field and practicing her golf skills at the many courses we will visit over the summer & into fall high school golf season (ds1 is the #1 golf guy for his team).

NEVER a dull moment...my poor fil won't know what hit him when he arrives in 2 weeks! ; )

We don't do any sports or extra curricular activities. Our daughter's only a first grader and we're not pushing anything extra on her, especially since she hasn't shown an interest in anything. Life's busy enough with Catholic school, the bit commute we have (10-15 min. every day to and from school), homework, and chores. We just let her have playtime. No TV or computer either. We see all these other parents going crazy trying to coordinate their lives with all these different sports, or scouts or dance class or karate, etc,--for even sometimes for more than one child in their family. Nobody has any down time or much of a family life it seems by the comments that are made. Go! Go! Go! They just don't see the irony in it all. They think their kids are better for it, doing all these sports, etc. when the basics of childhood fun, i.e. just ordinary play, are forsaken. I know it's summer, but why be in yet ANOTHER sport? Just let the little ones play!

Tracy, Yes, you are right that there is NOT enough "down time" but, at least for my family, my children have PLENTY of that since we homeschool and they are home to play w/their Legos, etc., as much as they want. The activities that we are involved with just started for the 2 younger boys and in all honesty, baseball in our town ends on June 20th so it's not a summer long commitment either. It's a couple of months and is greatly enjoyed by all (in our family). I'm NOT a fan of overdoing...I know a mom here in town who's 4 kids are involved in about 5 things each (art class, dance, soccer, music lessons, scouts...) and I think that is just OVER the top. All in all, we are home WAY more than we are out and it works for us...but only b/c our kids are older now & want to be part of this stuff (4th, 5th & 11th grade) and our 3 yr old LOVES being outside so it works for all of us.

One other thing is that, this year w/my youngest in baseball, I have seen how our 11 yr old has really been taking advantage of "only" doing one thing b/c he was very much out of sorts thinking that he/they would have to sacrifice flying their planes so that his bro could play ball. Our almost 10 yr old has been BEGGING to play ball for the past 2 spring/summers so this year we let him, and he loves it. It also has given the 11 yr old pause to think about all the golf events that his bro had to sit through over the past 2 summers for him. All in all, I wouldn't trade it for the world, am thankful that we can do it and I think they are learning that life does NOT revolve around them all the time (again, right now, in our home, w/our activities). Great life lessons even on the baseball field. ; )

We have two middle school daughters in Fastpitch SOFTBALL. It's through the school, the community leagues here are way too much running and I'd have to be able to bi-locate (I can't even do that spiritually) And with the next three under 6, I don't want to.

My youngest of three boys loves sport and will play coach pitch for the first time this year (basketball and soccer in season too). My middle son plays basketball and soccer. Oldest one doesn't care for sports but loves to read with me in the fresh air. We all get out of the house and enjoy one another and cheering for the players! Moderation is key.

I'm just curious: if any of the "not at all" posters read this, please let us know the WHY of it. The reason I ask is b/c a "not at all" vote doesn't really "count" if your children aren't interested or not yet of age. As a wife/mother of baseball (well, all sports, really) fanatics starting w/dh, I'd be interested in others' reasons/situations. God bless!!!

Anon....I voted "not at all". Here's why: years ago, I was due with our 7th baby in May and we had signed our older three boys up for baseball (our oldest child was nine at that time). As the baby's due date came closer, I realized that I was going to be running three boys to at least two different fields several nights a week, at dinner time, with a nursing baby, a few toddlers, and a husband who works a lot of evening shifts. It was our second or third year of baseball, but I think for us, just the sheer number of kids we had, my husband's schedule, and having a new baby just ended up being too much. So we cancelled the baseball and have never looked back.

That's not to say that our kids aren't involved in other things. We just try to do a lot of them all at the same time/team. The older five were all in the same jujutsu class for several years, and it was minutes from our home. Since we home school, they all take piano lessons as well as a music class every week. The classes are at different times for each child, but the piano teacher comes here to our home since we have so many to do. In the summer, four kids would take horse back riding lessons together - same place, same time. Four of the kids take a gymnastics class (more like a home school phys ed class) each week. We just try to keep life balanced with activities and down time. We have nine kids now, ages 4-18, and we have two teenage drivers, which does help significantly in driving kids to things they need to get to.

We did make a decision many years ago to put the emphasis on music rather than sports. Our kids get plenty of sports/physical activities by using our trampoline, basketball hoop, bikes on our quiet road, our horses, and playing all sorts of sports with the neighbor kids. To us, physical activity is very important, but we can fulfill that need at home. The kids have thrived in the music classes and piano lessons they have taken since kindergarten. I think that is an important part of forming the whole person, and it's just what we decided to sink our time into. Not saying that those who sink their time into sports have it wrong...I just think you have to choose what suits your family.

Soccer! No baseball here but a little too much soccer for this tired mama.

We have 5 boys from 9-25 and all five are playing or umpiring! This is our only formal sport. Fortunately the older 2 get themselves to games. The youngest 2 are on different teams with the same coaches. Their practices are at the same field, same nights - back to back. The 14 year old you umpires is saving to go to World Youth day. Fortunately he is usually at the same fields as the others - and no practices.

I don't understand parents who have their kids in 3 or more sports. When do they ever eat together?