#SOL20 D8 (One of) My favorite Baseball Players

Jacob loves baseball. When he was three, he had an invisible friend named Baseball Player. He's been playing since pre-school and he's had some ups and downs. His fielding is always great. His hitting more inconsistent. No matter what, though, he never complains about playing baseball.



This year he's playing with a new team, a team a little more intense than the ones from years past. This team will go to out of town tournaments, and he's going to have practice three times a week, plus games. It's a commitment, this team.

Yesterday they had their first scrimmage. Jacob was nervous. So nervous that he said to me, "Mom. I'm nervous about today." Anyone who lives with a 12-year-old knows this admission is big.

I took him to the game yesterday and could tell he still had the jitters. He sat out the first inning, and in the second he got to pitch. The pitcher's mound is Jacob's happy place. As soon as he threw his first strike I could almost seem him visibly settle in.

A few times he looked over at me, checking in. Grinning the whole time.

The rest of the game he played outfield (I found out later he told his coach he wanted to stay in the outfield the whole game). Every few minutes he'd glance over at me and the look on the kid's face made the upcoming craziness of this season worth it.

I'm so grateful for the lessons he's learning too. He's stretching outside of his comfort zone. He's learning how to play with a new team, even though many of the boys he played with in the past. He's learning how to face new challenges, how to handle his nerves, how to fly.

And I can see him gaining so much confidence. It's a good reminder that as a parent, part of our job is to let our kids face hard things head-on. To get out of their way and let them feel nervous.