When we began our homeschooling journey 10 years ago, I didn't give sports much
thought. After
all, our 5-year-old daughter hadn't expressed any interest in baseball, football
or wrestling. She preferred doll babies and ballet class. So it wasn't until
several years later, when our boys reached the age of Little League, that the
dilemma of whether we wanted to be involved - and whether we would be allowed to
be involved - surfaced in our lives.
Has it been a positive experience? The answer to that is a resounding, "Yes!"
Has it always been positive? Well . . . let's just say it has offered us
situations from time to time that we could use for character development!
Why did we choose to involve our children in community sports? The biggest
reason was that they have God-given athletic abilities, and we really didn't
want to see their talents go unused. It didn't have a lot to do with
socialization (although many parents choose to use organized sports to increase
their children's contact with other children). We really wanted to use the
available programs for areas in which our children truly excelled, and not waste
our time on activities that would not enhance their lives. We try to delegate
our time to worthwhile pursuits, though using discernment in that area of our
lives can at times become difficult. If not careful, the "extra-curriculars" can
become your whole life!
First there was the battle with the county about allowing homeschoolers to
participate in Recreational Department sports. Fortunately for us, the battle
had been mostly won by our predecessors a couple of years earlier. So other than
the usual, "I'm not sure we can do that. Let me check," we proceeded without too
much flack. At that time, a neighboring county still would not allow
homeschoolers to play . . . so we were lucky that we didn't have to fight our
way in (though we would have if necessary!).
Next came the question of whether the children would be accepted by their
coaches and peers! That was the most amazing part of the process for us. God
blessed us far beyond any of our hopes. Not only did the children fit in, they
quickly showed their leadership qualities, and it became obvious that
homeschooling had not deterred their socialization skills at all. In fact, it
had given them the confidence to step forward and lead. They had never had the
disappointments of failures or the teasing of peers to shatter their confidence.
In an instant, all my doubts about whether they would be ready to face the "big
old world" vanished.
I'll never forget the day that our sons went to their first Little League
baseball practice. They were ages 8 and 9 years old, and had never played
baseball before. Up to that point their athletic careers had centered around
soccer, but after much begging by our 9-year-old we decided to let them change
sports for the spring season.
I was very apprehensive as we went to the first practice. I had heard through
the neighborhood grapevine that baseball was very competitive even for the
little guys. We got to practice, and after a brief pep talk from our new coach,
the coach asked for volunteers. He wanted to know who had been a pitcher or
catcher before. A couple of hands went up, and then he asked which children
would like to try it for the first time. Up went my 9-year-old's hand! I gave
him one of those "mother glares," thinking to myself, "Son, you've never even
played baseball. You can't possibly pitch." I expressed my concerns to the coach
in private, and he just smiled and said, "Let him try it, and we'll see what he
can do."
To make a long story short, he tried out for pitching that day, was the starting
pitcher in his first-ever baseball game, and has been pitching every since. Talk
about a confidence booster! He grew up by leaps and bounds that summer, and
never again have I discouraged him from trying something new. I learned a
valuable lesson that day, too!
Incidentally, his brother started pitching the next season, and now they compete
to see who starts each game. They are only a year apart in age, so they are in
the same league. I guess we are a baseball family now, especially with little
sister counting the days until March when her first season will begin. She is
finally 8. (She seemed to think it took forever, but for me it came much too
soon.)
Community sports has filled a void in our homeschool program, and added much fun
and excitement to our family life. I don't have to worry about teaching P.E. at
home, and we have the additional benefit of watching our children stretch
themselves into new areas and look for the gifts that God has given them. It is
a delight to see the excitement in their eyes, when they realize that they can
succeed without being forced to fit into the mold of their public school peers.
In fact, not only can they succeed and be accepted, they can excel even in areas
that were once off-limits for us "anti-social" homeschoolers.
