Any activity that your child is involved in, whether sports or academic related (and in this case it’s baseball) is bound to invoke a slight pang of anxiety within the heart of any mom. To sit on the sidelines and watch as your child tries their best and succeeds just sends your heart soaring. Often you almost have to reel in your excitement to keep from yelling out “Yep that’s my kid” as you are bursting with pride at their accomplishment.  

But to see them try their best and stumble, tugs at your heart-strings.  Watching that look of disappointment spread across their crestfallen face just sends waves of anguish through your body.  You know that if they were alone the tears would flow, but they’re not so you watch helpless as they choke back their emotions and try to plod on. All the while you are privy to their disappointment, you are desperately trying to find just the right words to share with them, when the opportunity presents itself, so as to raise up their broken spirit and let them know that they will be ok.  You’ll have to wade through the tears, anger, and desire to quit,  speaking gently and at the right times so as to let them vent while validating their feelings; but so as to not let their failure define them. You’ll have to comfort and support their efforts, pointing out the positives and encouraging them to use their experience as a mark from which to grow. Then you’ll grab them and hug tight – maybe metaphorically as a way to absorb their pain – because that’s what we as moms do.