I’ve been rather frustrated at Pumpkin’s lack of interest in t-ball. That’s because she acted like she wanted to play so badly. When she first started she loved it, but now she doesn’t even want to go to the games. She was the same way with basketball.
I left it totally up to her whether she wanted to play a sport or not. I think it’s good for kids to play something, but I don’t believe in making them do it. But there are a lot of other parents who don’t share my philosophy.
There are two boys that I can think of right off the bat who are on Pumpkin’s team whose parents are totally pushing it on them. One cries the majority of the time he’s out on the field, and the other just goes out there and sits down instead of participating. I don’t get why some parents are like that. I mean, just because they were hitting home runs and using testosterone boosters to bulk up in their younger days doesn’t mean their kids have to do the same thing.
I guess I’m kind of the opposite of them. I never got to play sports when I was young and interested in them, and I want to make sure Pumpkin has the opportunity. And if she says she wants to play and I scrape up the money for her to do so, I expect her to get out there and try. But it’s obvious that these kids have no interest whatsoever, and they’re only out there because their parents want them to be. I just don’t think that’s right.
I probably won’t even offer to pay for sports next year. Mostly because I don’t want to waste my time and money on something that she’s not going to stay interested in. But also because I don’t want her to feel like I’m pushing her.
I decided not to put Pumpkin in t-ball. I already paid her fees and everything, but I just don’t think it would be the best thing for her to play. She wouldn’t go to her last basketball game on Saturday, she seems to have completely lost interest in that. And I would be willing to bet that the same thing would have happened with t-ball.
She has also been having some behavioral problems. Backtalking, not listening to Hubby and me, those kinds of things. So that was another factor in my decision. I just hope I made the right one.
Pumpkin’s t-ball coach called last night and said he was holding a parents’ meeting this evening. I’m going to see what they have to say. I’m still not sure about letting her play, but I have a feeling that she’s not going to take no for an answer.
I just hope this goes better than basketball did. She just seemed to totally lose interest in it. I would love for her to get involved in sports, because I think it would be really good for her. But I’m not going to force it on her by any means.
I had a rough time getting Pumpkin ready for her basketball game this morning. She wanted to wear her hair a certain way that would not hold up well during the game, wear jewelry, and such… just being difficult in general. She asked me why I had signed her up for basketball, and I reminded her that she had said that she wanted to play.
I got her to the game, and she wanted to stay right by my side. The coach asked her to play one quarter, but she refused. She didn’t want to play the last quarter either, but I told her she needed to get out there and do her part. So she got out there on the court, but she just wouldn’t pay attention or anything.
We had a little talk about it. She said she just wasn’t good at basketball. I know she could do much better than she is if she would just pay attention and try. But it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. I’m thinking about taking her out of t-ball as well, because if she isn’t even going to try it seems like a waste of time and money. And we don’t have much time or money to waste right now.
I signed her up for basketball because she seemed interested in it, and I thought it would help her gain self-esteem and learn about teamwork while having a good time. But I’m just not seeing those kinds of results. Advice, anyone?
When we moved into the place where we currently live, there was an old, rusty basketball goal next to the end of our driveway, right next to the road. We are in a very rural area, and there’s very little traffic, but if you ask me it’s still a pretty crazy place for a basketball goal. That opinion was made even stronger when I came home yesterday to find that the wind had blown it over. Luckily it didn’t go in the road, but if it had it could have caused a wreck.
It would be nice to have a new one, especially with Pumpkin playing at school. Pro Dunk Hoops has a huge selection of basketball goals to choose from. I would like to get just a backboard and rim and put it on the outside of our storage building. Then we wouldn’t have to worry about it ending up in the road, or about Pumpkin getting in the road when practicing. Or we could put up an in-ground goal somewhere in the same area if that wouldn’t work out. That would actually be better, because some of the freestanding ones are adjustable, and that’s a must when you’ve got a little one playing. And the Pro Dunk site has some high-quality products, so she would get to use it as she grows.
Having a good basketball goal in a good location would be great for our whole family. Basketball is one of the few sports that Hubby, Pumpkin and I all enjoy, and it would be wonderful for us to all be able to play together. Maybe it would even help me drop some of those extra pounds.
I went to the school today to sign Pumpkin up for basketball. It just doesn’t seem possible that she’s big enough to be doing such things.
I need to talk to my boss about being off on Saturday mornings for her games. I don’t know how well that will go over, but it shouldn’t be too big of a problem. I get quite a bit of time off on the weekends already.
In a way I dread having to get her to practice and games and all, but I know that it will be good for her. She needs to get involved in something with other kids outside of regular school, and she has been asking about playing basketball every since school started. So I hope she enjoys it.
