Open Letter to Parents of Little Leaguers

To: Little League Parents
From: Your Little League Coach

In striving to make our team the best around and to insure that the kids have a great baseball experience, I’ve come up with a few suggestions for the parents of our Little Leaguers.

1) Practice, practice, practice! Every kid on the team, regardless of skill level, needs work on his or her game at one time or another. Try to set aside a little time--even if it’s just a half hour a week--and work with your child between games. A little practice goes a long way. If you’re not sure what your child needs to work on, ask any of the Coaches--we’re the ones most familiar with your child’s strengths and weaknesses and can suggest practice sessions that will improve your child’s playing ability. And it’s a great way to spend some quality time with your kids.

2) Coaching is for Coaches. Please resist the incredible urge to coach your child from the stands. It interferes and often contradicts the Coaches’ instructions during gametime. If you’d like to volunteer as a Coach for our team, them come on down and sign up! We can use the extra help.

3) Coaches, not Babysitters. This is not a tip so much as it is a legality. Each player MUST have a responsible parent or guardian in attendance at every game or practice. If one parent is taking two or more players to the field that’s fine. But he/she will be responsible for those players in case of injuries that can and do occur on the field. We are not a babysitting service and we’re not running a Day Camp so don’t just “drop ‘em off” at the field.

4) Think Positive! Negative comments towards your child’s playing ability on the field during gametime has NO PLACE on our team. We all want our kids to be great players, but we must remember that the kids are there to have fun--this is for the kids, not the parents. On the way home, try and compliment your youngster on his/her playing that day. Never go home criticising every little mistake...that’s the quickest way to turn your kid off to baseball.

5) Get Involved. We are severly understaffed and overworked. Many parents want to become involved, but worry that they don’t know enough about Baseball to be helpful. There are plenty of ways to get involved without becoming a Coach or Manager. Just ask any Little League representative...you’d be amazed at how great it feels getting involved with your community. If all else fails, throw a pizza party for the team! Kids love pizza (so do Coaches).

And finally, the Coaches want to say “Thank You” for letting us spend time with your kids! As the parents proudly cheer their kids from the stands, it’s the Coaches who have the last laugh--because we know that being on the field and teaching kids about the game is when Baseball is at its finest. Don’t think for a second that this is a chore for us--we cherish every minute of it! Take it from me, I know....I’m a Coach.