Commitment is Key

Early on in our son’s baseball career, he struggled with the idea of going to practice. There were more than a few times that we piled into the car, on the verge of running late, surely half dressed or missing a glove and most certainly with some tears - either mine or his. He just did not want to go practice. Mind you, he was like 6 or 7. He had a t-ball season behind him, and was moving into the pitching machine era of his baseball career. He was also probably in 1st grade, getting used to the routine of daily school plus after school activities. We worked fulltime jobs, so he stayed at school until 4 or 5 every day. Looking back on it, that’s a long day for a kiddo. 

But, he committed to the team. He committed to himself. We don’t take that commitment lightly, even at that young age. As soon as he got to practice, he was fine. Assuming we were laced up and ready to go, he’d hop out of the car, grab his glove, and be off. It was definitely worth the struggle to get there.

When you’re part of a team, and when you value what that means, you show up. As often as possible, you bring your best self. But, a lot of times, if you just show up, you respond by bringing your best self. Getting there can be half the battle.

What’s the alternative? Not showing up? Letting the team down? Letting yourself down because you’re not getting better (or having any fun)?

Yes, we still valued that lesson at that young age. We believe in modeling the behavior we want our kids to embody. If I were to cave to his not wanting to go to a practice that I knew he’d have fun at just because it was difficult, or I was running late from work, or we wanted to go home and have quiet time, what lesson does he learn? 

At that young age in a rec program, everyone plays (in theory). If he never showed up, or only showed up on the days when it was easy and convenient, but he still got his playing time, what lesson does that teach him? Yes, we wanted him to get better to see if this was a sport he wanted to continue playing. But being part of a team means you commit to yourself and your teammates and your coaches. 

Sure, he’d be guaranteed playing time because we paid the fees. But that sense of entitlement doesn’t build character. What builds character is showing up even if you don’t feel like it. It’s putting in the work to get better. It’s supporting teammates who also might not feel like being there. It’s working with the team to collectively get better.

Learning that lesson as 5, 6, 7 years old afforded him many years to draw his own conclusions on what commitment means to him. On what being a teammate means to him. 

Whether he plays another inning of baseball, another down of football is irrelevant. Understanding commitment and what it means to be part of something larger than oneself is a lesson that will benefit him for the rest of his life. As part of a group project in school. As part of a team at work. As a leader of a team. As part of a family. We show up for our teammates, we get better for ourselves and for the betterment of the group.