We've come a long way, baby...

At the very, very...last minute, just when our schedules couldn't take one more activity...E.K. and I decided to sign up our children for baseball. BOY played T-ball a couple of years ago, which was somewhat of a disaster. Between lack of focus and interest, it was rather torturous for him and his parents... There was a lot of cloud watching and playing in the infield dirt.

But, this year seemed a good time to introduce GIRL to team sports, and for BOY to have another chance now -when he's more developmentally ready. They had a chance to play together on the same team, with friends, and with coaches - dads that they knew. It has been a walloping, whooping, baseball love fest - for all. BOY is playing catcher and enjoying it. GIRL, well...my GIRL is loving it! And, she is kicking ass! A couple of weeks ago she hit the ball so hard she dented the bat. Damn...GIRL!

When I was a child there were sports and then there were "Girl Sports." They were not the same. The expectations of girls' abilities and talents were often less than what was expected out of boys.Girls were not thought to have the stamina, drive or force to be engaged in athletic pursuits. The lines between the sexes were very clear.

Kids sports have changed a lot. There are 3 girls on the baseball team and their abilities and talents are equal, at this age, with their male teammates. The girls do not sit off to the side. They are not mocked by the boys on the team. They are all in it together.  It is a normal and beautiful thing.

I can't help but think how this will help them as future men and women - that at some point in their lives they played on the same team ...and they were equals. We've come a long way, baby...

	Tweet