How To Not Stress Your Kids Out During Baseball Games

It’s no secret that many competitive sports like baseball can be a bit stressful for children. That’s especially true for “official” games with adult umpires and coaches.
It just feels more real. It also doesn’t help when their dads and moms are in the stands screaming, whether at the umpires, coaches, the opponents, or their own kids.
These things can really rattle your kids’ nerves.
If you’re a parent, then obviously you’ll want to help your kids overcome this problem.
So how can you help?
For the most part, it starts with not being the problem in the first place!
The truth of the matter is that often it’s the parents who are actively increasing their anxiety in their kids in the first place.
As the owner of www.thebaseballdiamond.com I know first hand what this is like. I’ve experienced it with my own kids playing ball.
If you’re a parent, here are some tips that can help:
1. Try to attend games. Show up for practices too. It may be tempting to just not show up because you’re busy and you have other more important things to do.
But children in baseball games are often like kids going to school for the first time — they want their parents their on the stands. Knowing you’re there reassures them.
They may panic when they search the stands looking for you and find that you’re not there.
2. Know the rules. Then of course you have to obey the rules. Be aware of which areas you’re allowed to enter, and be mindful of any rules concerning spectator behavior.
When you break the rules and cause a fuss, your kids can get really nervous and anxious as a result.
Keep them relaxed by being a good law-abiding spectator.
3. Avoid excessive behavior. What’s “excessive”? Basically, it’s any sort of action that draws people’s attention to you.
Most of the time, that means you did something wrong and people noticed.
So be comfortable in the stands and keep with the flow.
Don’t stand out, don’t scream, and don’t make a fuss. And for goodness’ sake, don’t get into a fight or in a screaming match.
4. Let the coaches do their jobs. You’re not the coach, and so it’s not your job to tell the coach how to do their job. Let them make the decisions regarding substitutions and plays.
Don’t make your own calls on how to play the game as you’ll just confuse your kids.
It’s easy enough to imagine the stress you’re causing in your kids when you give directions that counter the signals given by the coaches.
It’s confusing when your kid is rounding 3rd base and you’re screaming for them to head for home while the coach is giving the “stop” signal.
5. Don’t abuse the umpires. Umpires are human and they make mistakes like everyone does.
So what if your kid is called out at first base when the ball clearly got there 5 seconds later?
Regardless of how obviously wrong the umpire is, it’s not your place to object.
You can groan as the other spectators will obvious will, but don’t curse out the umpire. Let your kids’ coaches deal with it.
This is especially true for balls and strikes.
That’s often a very subjective call, and it’s easy to get into an argument about wrong calls.
Bite your tongue — heck, you can literally put your hand on your mouth to keep it closed.
6. Cheer for great plays. Kids live for these kinds of moments, when they do something right and you’re there to see it.
Often after a great play such as a home run, they’ll look to you right afterwards.
Make sure you’re paying attention — better ignore your phone for the moment — and smile and cheer at your kid.
They’ll be devastated if they see that you weren’t paying attention, or you’re not reacting at all.
They’ll think that what they did wasn’t really good enough for you.
7. Be encouraging after setbacks. Moments like striking out, allowing a homerun, or committing an error can be terrible for kids especially in front of crowds — and in front of you.
Unfortunately, these things do happen in baseball and in all sports in general.
When that happens, don’t berate them. Just don’t. Don’t even try to give advice on what they ought to have done, or what they should do to keep the problem from happening again.
Instead, clap your hands, smile, and say something encouraging about how it’s all okay.
8. Don’t talk to the players. More especially, don’t abuse the players on the other team.
There’s no justification for that sort of language. It doesn’t matter if they bumped into your kid or apparently threw a pitch at your kid’s head.
The coaches and the umpires can deal with any sort of infraction.
You’re there to encourage your kid, so just clap, smile, and say encouraging words to your own kids.
9. On the ride home, don’t go over the plays. After the game, let your kid process the whole thing in their own time.
Stop questioning them about previous plays. Don’t give any advice. They’re changing back into their role as kids instead of players.
So you have to change back from being a spectator into a supportive parent. Let them bring up any topic about the game.
10. Don’t treat your kids differently when they win or lose. This ultimately lets them feel as if your view of them is tied down to their athletic performance.
So don’t reward them for good plays by letting them off the hook for chores, and don’t punish them or be mad at them for not doing well.
The best thing you can do is smile and to say something about how you just simply love to watch them play.
Nowadays, the term “Little League parents” are often used for people who simply don’t know how to behave properly as spectators.
Don’t be those people. It’s bad enough when they’re worried about their sports performance.
It’s much worse when they also have to worry about what parents will do during a baseball game!
Cheer for everyone, watch your tongue, and be supportive.
Act this way, and you can really help your kids dial down their anxiety.
