5AF Parenting Thread

[meow]

That is an action of a mentally unstable individual

[shafnutz05]

That's not a thing.

Sadly I've seen this too. "That's Blair County as hell, Shad" - Slappy

[slappybrown]

That's not a thing.

Sadly I've seen this too. "That's Blair County as hell, Shad" - Slappy

my westmoreland county call was correct, and I have no doubt that it would apply equally if not more so to blair county

whats black onyx up to these days anyways

[shafnutz05]

whats black onyx up to these days anyways

Hello Im Black Onix N Welcome 2 My Nightmare in Dis Shadow Realm

Head Photographer/Owner at Onix'z Photography

[MWB]

That reminded me about something that happened last night. The other team's coach went after the umpire after a close call at first (I was in the dugout along 1B, and despite the obvious bias, the kid was out at first). The coach walked away and yelled "They pick some real winners to umpire in this league..." and the umpire told him that was the end of it. Not another word, or he'll get tossed. (This coach got tossed in another game for a similar argument).

This is 9-10 year old baseball, in a three team league. Get over yourself buddy.

Two batters later, another close play (and the runner was safe this time), and the same ump called the runner out and smirked while he did it.

Those are the type of people who shouldn't be coaching kids at that level. Unless you're playing for an AAU or other sort of championship, you should NEVER get after the officials like that. The only thing you accomplish by doing that is showing the kids that it's ok to act immature when something doesn't go your way. At that age, it's about working on their skills and talents to advance them along up the food chain as they get older. Even at the JV level of high school, it's ridiculous to see.

Definitely agree with this, although I've been guilty of being vocal with refs at times. I try to ask the referee a question about a call in a normal voice when I can, and a lot of refs will respond with an explanation. However, some refs will just ignore, and others will say "you coach, I'll ref." At one game, one of our girls was being played as the 1, in a box and one. She was getting pushed and grabbed all over. I tried to speak to one ref about it at halftime, but the other ref told me I wasn't allowed to talk to him, which seemed odd. So at one point in the second half, I yelled, "She's grabbing her!" The ref came over and gave me a warning, and I said, "Can you please just watch for the holding?" He gave me a technical. For those who ref, how should I have handled this situation? Should I have just not said anything about it?

[count2infinity]

whats black onyx up to these days anyways

There's a name I haven't heard in a lonnnnnnnng time.

[slappybrown]

whats black onyx up to these days anyways

Hello Im Black Onix N Welcome 2 My Nightmare in Dis Shadow Realm

Head Photographer/Owner at Onix'z Photography

pretty sick I assume he does all of your daughter's photos

[shafnutz05]

whats black onyx up to these days anyways

There's a name I haven't heard in a lonnnnnnnng time.

Agreed. That's a deep Chatzy pull.

[Orlando Penguin]

Definitely agree with this, although I've been guilty of being vocal with refs at times. I try to ask the referee a question about a call in a normal voice when I can, and a lot of refs will respond with an explanation. However, some refs will just ignore, and others will say "you coach, I'll ref." At one game, one of our girls was being played as the 1, in a box and one. She was getting pushed and grabbed all over. I tried to speak to one ref about it at halftime, but the other ref told me I wasn't allowed to talk to him, which seemed odd. So at one point in the second half, I yelled, "She's grabbing her!" The ref came over and gave me a warning, and I said, "Can you please just watch for the holding?" He gave me a technical. For those who ref, how should I have handled this situation? Should I have just not said anything about it?

I've always taken the tact that if a coach asks me a question in a normal voice about a rule or something they're observing, I'll listen to it and give a quick response. For you to approach the ref at the half and the other ref to shoo you away with that response is pretty embarrassing. It's different if you're acting like a wild person when you're on the sideline and then come after us at the half or other stoppage of play. When something like that happens, you should take it a little higher after the game and make a mention to the officials' assigner or league commissioner and tell your side of the story. The way you describe it here, those officials seemed to have a sky-high ego and complex about authority. The last thing I want to do in a game is give a T. In fact, I once went 60 games without giving them out. Part of that is most players and coaches were on their best behavior but the other part was the extra toleration I guess I had for the whining.

[MWB]

Yeah, one of them definitely seems to have an ego, and simply ignores everything I ask. The only time he didn't ignore me was when he was right next to me and I said asked a question in a normal voice, and he responded, "It doesn't matter what I call, you won't like it, so I'll just call what I want." That was pretty frustrating. I felt awful about getting a tech because I'd never gotten one before and it happened while I was coaching the school team, but my principal was like, I don't have a problem with it and you stayed more composed than I would have. I want to be able to have a good relationship with the refs as much as possible.

[Freddy Rumsen]

I can't remember if I shared this story on here or not, but I used to referee high school soccer.

I quit because a dude, whose kid I later found out I red carded during the game for throwing a punch, came after me in the parking lot threatening violence. It was one of those situations where I don't think he was kidding around.

Some here will appreciate the fact that this was a game between two Christian academy's.

[meow]

I would have Bobby Knighted it after the technical

[CBear3]

First night of machine pitch down. 5 strikes allowed.
We got through 15 batters in an hour long game.

[Freddy Rumsen]

5 strikes?

Coach pitch here it is 8 pitches max per at bat and they don't have walks, but do have strike outs with 3 pitches.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Machine pitch is...special. Our little league uses coach pitch, but our travel team last year played against a lot of machine pitch teams (most of the bigger little leagues use machine pitch). They are coached to take the first pitch, which drags an at-bat out...which makes the fielders pay less attention...

Our league commissioner and I had a good conversation last night about how dreadful the first year of kid pitch is. So. Many. Walks. Even more past balls and free bases. He says it does get better, but without a pitcher who can throw catchable strikes and an above average catcher to block, it's pretty terrible.

In coach pitch/machine pitch, the catcher is often your most insignificant player (along with the outfielders). Generally, any play at home, our "pitcher" covers because the catcher...can't catch. Move up one league, and catcher becomes the second most important position behind the pitcher. It's crazy.

[Morkle]

Machine pitch is...special. Our little league uses coach pitch, but our travel team last year played against a lot of machine pitch teams (most of the bigger little leagues use machine pitch). They are coached to take the first pitch, which drags an at-bat out...which makes the fielders pay less attention...

Our league commissioner and I had a good conversation last night about how dreadful the first year of kid pitch is. So. Many. Walks. Even more past balls and free bases. He says it does get better, but without a pitcher who can throw catchable strikes and an above average catcher to block, it's pretty terrible.

In coach pitch/machine pitch, the catcher is often your most insignificant player (along with the outfielders). Generally, any play at home, our "pitcher" covers because the catcher...can't catch. Move up one league, and catcher becomes the second most important position behind the pitcher. It's crazy.

They should only tell them to take the first pitch against live pitchers. Doing it against the machine is dumb unless the machine itself is inconsistent...

I get fundamentals, but we've also got things to do than watch kids not learn how to swing better.

[robbiestoupe]

We signed our kids up to do a race thing every Sunday. We figured, all they do is run around the house all the time, why not get them into running? Well, after 3 weeks my 2 year old has yet to run (too shy around all the people) and my 4 year old is bored. They run the 4 year olds for a 75 yard dash - lasts about 20 seconds. I basically paid $35 for a t-shirt and some bananas/apples after each race. The oldest kid just hangs out with other kids after the "race" and they run their own races. They have more fun doing that than the official "race"

[meow]

Three games into mini-meow’s soccer season, 100% of our team’s goals have been scored by one kid. mini-meow has been called for more “fouls” (meaning the ref gives me a look and I have to explain to him that he can’t plow over a kid with no intention of playing the ball (that’s my boy)) than times he’s actually purposefully touched the ball. I don’t think soccer is his bag. He’s more of a bull than a finesse type of athlete dispite his smaller stature.

[slappybrown]

Three games into mini-meow’s soccer season, 100% of our team’s goals have been scored by one kid. mini-meow has been called for more “fouls” (meaning the ref gives me a look and I have to explain to him that he can’t plow over a kid with no intention of playing the ball (that’s my boy)) than times he’s actually purposefully touched the ball. I don’t think soccer is his bag. He’s more of a bull than a finesse type of athlete dispite his smaller stature.

My kid did this too when we started at age 3. He outgrew it by age 4.

[count2infinity]

That's when slappy taught him the Italian Flop.

[CBear3]

5 strikes?

Coach pitch here it is 8 pitches max per at bat and they don't have walks, but do have strike outs with 3 pitches.

I don't think I saw a kid take a pitch

[CBear3]

Three games into mini-meow’s soccer season, 100% of our team’s goals have been scored by one kid. mini-meow has been called for more “fouls” (meaning the ref gives me a look and I have to explain to him that he can’t plow over a kid with no intention of playing the ball (that’s my boy)) than times he’s actually purposefully touched the ball. I don’t think soccer is his bag. He’s more of a bull than a finesse type of athlete dispite his smaller stature.

My kid did this too when we started at age 3. He outgrew it by age 4.

Good lord, if I could only teach my 4 year old it's possible to bend down to stop a ball instead of sliding to it, or after making a kick that he doesn't have to do the comical two steps into a faceplant.

[Orlando Penguin]

Yeah, one of them definitely seems to have an ego, and simply ignores everything I ask. The only time he didn't ignore me was when he was right next to me and I said asked a question in a normal voice, and he responded, "It doesn't matter what I call, you won't like it, so I'll just call what I want." That was pretty frustrating. I felt awful about getting a tech because I'd never gotten one before and it happened while I was coaching the school team, but my principal was like, I don't have a problem with it and you stayed more composed than I would have. I want to be able to have a good relationship with the refs as much as possible.

That's when you have your principal contact the officials association with a formal complaint. It's obvious that the principal has your back on the situation. If a ref says that to you, he shouldn't be calling games because he certainly sounds like he has a God complex.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Another weekend tournament, ended up going 3-1 with a loss in the championship game.

We've been having some confidence issues with our son, who is a very good baseball player - not great at this age, but above average. I don't have delusions of him playing in college or the pros, but he certainly could play through high school.

If he has a bad at bat - which is common at 9 years old - it destroys the rest of the game and potentially weekend for him. On Saturday, he had probably the best two games of his life at the plate - 5 for 5 with two walks, and all five hits were hard hit to all fields. He scored each time he got on base. My wife and I tried to temper his expectations, because if things went bad the next day, he would be devastated.

Sadly, that's what happened. His first at bat on Sunday, he crushed another ball right out to an outfielder, who caught it. My son cries when he gets out, despite coaches, us, other parents, and his teammates trying to console him. He doesn't cry for long, but he is basically done for the day. Two lazy ground outs, and a strikeout, and a flubbed ground ball in the outfield.

It's sad because he demands perfection in this and everything he does - school, video games, other sports - but that is unattainable. After a bad game, he says he sucks and wants to quit and hates baseball.

We honestly don't care about his performance on the field - it's just his bad behavior that drives us crazy, and frankly, is embarrassing.

I really want to take him to a psychologist/therapist, because we've seen this behavior with school and anything that challenges him, but my wife is against it. I'm not sure taking a kid to a shrink in a town of 4000 is a good idea, despite the Hippocratic oath. Everyone here knows everyone else, and gossip is currency with these people.

I would hate to see him quit something that until very recently he loved unequivocally...but man, it's tough watching him shut down mentally.

Any suggestions? I know a lot of your kids are very young, but any new perspectives would be helpful...

[count2infinity]

Any of yinz do carriers for your little ones? The wife and I love going to farmers markets, street fairs, outdoors/crowded area kind of things. I know I get annoyed when people bring strollers to such things (insert dodint rant about parents thinking they're special). So I was wondering if anyone here has a carrier they like? We got a wrap as a baby shower gift which I've tried a few times, but putting it on is a hassle and I'd imagine she'd get really warm in it since it's black and pretty heavy fabric. Was looking at stuff like the ergobaby, lillebaby, tula style things. The second hand market here is pretty decent, just wondering if anyone has first hand experience with them.