{"id":12822,"date":"2014-02-20T12:52:52","date_gmt":"2014-02-20T17:52:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecrescat\/?p=12822"},"modified":"2015-01-10T21:38:01","modified_gmt":"2015-01-11T02:38:01","slug":"this-season-i-am-going-to-be-the-most-encouraging-mom-at-the-ball-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thecrescat\/2014\/02\/this-season-i-am-going-to-be-the-most-encouraging-mom-at-the-ball-park.html","title":{"rendered":"This Season I am Going to be the Most Encouraging Mom at the Ball Park…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u2026 I am that<\/em> mom. That<\/em> mom at your kid\u2019s sports event. Not exactly a soccer mom. I don\u2019t know what soccer moms do or what it is about them that earn them the label \u2018soccer mom\u2019 \u2014 I think it has to do with being suburban and driving minivans, both of which do not apply. Also, I am not sure if being a soccer mom has anything to do with being a fan of the sport or not, cause honestly, I can\u2019t see anyone, outside of Seattle, caring about soccer in this country. <\/p>\n

No, I\u2019m worse than a soccer mom. Much worse. I am that mom that can\u2019t distinguish between a Major League sporting event and a Little League one. I am the mom that tries to buy beer<\/a> from the concession stand at your kid\u2019s game. The one that yells at the Ump. The one that refuses to clap for. every. single. player. in the name of fairness, regardless of what team they are on or how badly they repeatedly strike out. Who claps for the other team? That\u2019s craziness. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also noticed, I\u2019m the mom that is actually watching the game. Who goes to their kid\u2019s game and doesn\u2019t watch them play, choosing instead to chat with the other moms? That\u2019s some real craziness right there. It\u2019s baseball, not a tea party. <\/p>\n

I\u2019m the mom that habitually embarrasses her son at his games. And here I thought I was just enthusiastically supporting my kid, albeit loudly, but supportive non the less. <\/p>\n

What\u2019s all that vocal enthusiasm doing for his love of the game? I can tell you what it\u2019s not doing. It\u2019s not motivating him to want to practice. It\u2019s also not motivating him to have a good time. And that\u2019s all my fault. If soccer moms are good sported moms that I\u2019m certainly no soccer mom.<\/p>\n

With baseball season starting back up, I thought now would be a good time to examine how I should be encouraging, not embarrassing, my son. <\/p>\n

From the Fuller Youth Institute<\/a>\u2026 <\/p>\n

Based on psychological research, the three healthiest statements moms and dads can make as [kids] perform are:<\/p>\n

Before the Competition: <\/strong>
\nHave fun.
\nPlay hard.
\nI love you.<\/p>\n

After the competition:<\/strong>
\nDid you have fun?
\nI\u2019m proud of you.
\nI love you.<\/p>\n

Researchers Bruce Brown and Rob Miller asked college athletes what their parents said that made them feel great and brought them joy when they played sports. Want to know the six words they most want to hear their parents say?<\/p>\n

\u201cI love to watch you play.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s it. Nothing aggrandizing like \u201cyou\u2019re an all-star,\u201d and nothing discouraging like \u201chere are a couple of things I noticed that you can work on.\u201d Just \u201cI love to watch you play.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And I do. Boy, do love to watch him play. Have I ever told him so, though? Honestly, not to my recollection. But all that\u2019s gonna change. Get ready, son. I\u2019m about to do a whole bunch of encouraging up in your game. <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2026 I am that mom. That mom at your kid\u2019s sports event. Not exactly a soccer mom. I don\u2019t know what soccer moms do or what it is about them that earn them the label \u2018soccer mom\u2019 \u2014 I think it has to do with being suburban and driving minivans, both of which do not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":12829,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,26,802],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bat-shit-crazy","category-perils-of-parenthood","category-play-ball-2"],"yoast_head":"\nThis Season I am Going to be the Most Encouraging Mom at the Ball Park...<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"... I am that mom. That mom at your kid's sports event. Not exactly a soccer mom. 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