Take Me Out To The Ball Game
Take me out to the ball game, take me out with the crowd; buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, I don’t care if I never get back. Let me root, root, root for the home team, if they don’t win, it’s a shame. For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out, at the old ball game!
Whoo, hoo! Spring has sprung. Chances are you’ve already been to the ballpark with your kids or grandkids, or you’re headed that way sooner rather than later. This ex-basketball coach is all in when it comes to sports. Our immediate family is notorious for turning practically anything into a competition. And while I’m not saying that’s always been a good thing, (oh, the stories I could tell here!) sports have given us many bonding opportunities over the years and countless fond memories to treasure.
Sports have a lot to offer. They can build character in our kids by teaching them the value of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance. These are valuable tools they’ll be able to apply to other areas of their lives as they move into their future. Sports can also place undue stress on our family units, undermine our values, and wreck our home life. Sadly, I’ve seen both scenarios played out. Let’s look at three important ways to find the right balance.
Honor God first.
If sports are allowed to take the place of our families worshipping God together, we’re telling our kids their ballgames are more important than our faith. Hear me out. I’m not saying church attendance alone sends the right message. It doesn’t. If our kids realize our highest aim isn’t following God and growing in our relationship with Him, we can park them in the pew every Sunday and our family will suffer as much as the ones that miss church for sports. It’s about modeling our highest priority for our kids and this can be done even for families that participate in what is known as “travel ball.” Faith minded parents can plan ahead and find a church in the area to attend on the weekends when travel ball conflicts with their local church. They could also plan family devotions in the hotel during travel weekends. (A big bonus here might be inviting kids’ teammates and families!) Like any other pursuits and interests, sports can be used to satisfy and glorify ourselves, or honor and glorify God. As parents, we’re paving the way.
Set reasonable limits.
Our kids can’t play every sport every season and we hurt them when we let them try. We also weaken the family unit by taxing family reserves and I’m talking about physical, material, and spiritual resources! Yes, God is infinite. Hallelujah! But we’re finite. Let’s do our children the favor of requiring them to choose the activities they’re involved in instead of allowing them to spread the whole family thin.
Guard the door.
This might be last on our list, but it’s big. Not every team or organization is a good fit for your family. If the coach doesn’t take a balanced approach to the game, if what is required of your child to participate is taking too much of a toll on your family, step back. Look around. There are other leagues, other coaches, other teams. It’s your responsibility to make sure your athlete is plugged into a safe environment. If the coach is out of balance, your family life will be, too.
Grandparents, please allow me to speak directly as we close. I realize it can be difficult to help our kids guide their kids through this and other minefields of life without coming across as interfering but chickening out and clamming up is not the right call either. I’m reminded of an old phrase, “Man Up”. You’ve heard it. It means doing or saying the hard thing for the right reason. Well, sometimes we have to Grandma Up by speaking up when we sense a threat to our families. When we’re faced with such a situation let’s pray for wisdom, pray for the right words, and then, let’s Grandma Up!
