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The Life of a Baseball Mom
The Life of a Baseball Players' Mom... I used to have a normal life. (Actually, my friends and family say the sentence should say, "I used to have a life", period.) It doesn't really seem all that long ago... Then I became the mother of a baseball player. I used to think anything over $40 was an exorbitant price for a baseball bat and say things like "I'm never paying that much for a glove!" Now the contents of my son's equipment bag are worth more than everything else in the house -- clothes, jewelry, watches, and computers.
I used to work 8-5 and think I was over-worked and under-paid. Then I quit work so my children could have a full time maid, nanny, and chauffer and now I often think 8-5 wasn't so bad. Now my husband is the sole breadwinner in the family. (You have to keep a good paycheck coming in if you want to support a baseball habit!)
I used to look for little restaurants that served seafood fresh off the boat. Now I'm a connoisseur of nachos and hot dogs and rate a city by the quality of their baseball fields' concession stand!
Sunflower seeds used to be something I would see at a store and think "Who eats those things?" Now I know who eats them because they're every where! In every pants pocket, in the washing machine, all over the car...
My lawn used to be like a carpet. I had plants and pretty flowers in the yard and in pots. The grass was green and mowed. Now I have bare spots 50 feet apart, artificial plants and flowers, and dents in every thing around the house that can't move out of the way of a fastball!
My car used to draw admiring looks. It was clean, waxed, and shiny. Now it only draws attention when it wins the "dirtiest car" prize and the kids write "Wash Me" in the rear glass. After we load the bat bag, the lawn chairs, the umbrellas (just in case it rains), the blankets (it gets cool when the sun goes down), the coolers, and the water bottles, there's barely room for us.
I used to have a 2-car carport, now I have a covered batting area, poles to wrap the hit-away round, and I'm lucky if I can fit the front of my Expedition in at least far enough to keep the front seat in the shade or me from getting wet when I get out. If I can get out, I get to climb over whatever ball equipment, hitting machine, ball bag, and/or cleats are stored under the carport to keep them from getting wet.
My friends and I used to spend time talking about the new outfit we bought or movie we had just seen. Now I bore them to death with detailed play-by-play descriptions of five or six ball games.
My summer wardrobe used to consist of breezy little sun dresses in bright colors, strappy little sandals, and the occasional frilly shirt. Now I have a closet full of the coolest, thinnest shirts I can wear without being arrested, the most comfortable shoes I can find, and T-shirts that have baseball team names on the front and competing teams on the back.
We used to spend our summer vacation relaxing on the beach. Now I have no vacation, we hit the road with other parents in a caravan that could rival some small town parades.
I used to be concerned that I would fall into the trap of living my life through my children. Now I know that I'm privileged to live my life WITH my children!!! Yes, I'm a Baseball Mom and I wouldn't trade it for anything! Of course in July when it's 110 degrees in the shade, REMIND ME OF THAT!
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