**long rant warning**
Noah started playing little-league this year in minors. We held off on putting him in baseball for a while because 1) he's been racing bmx/mtb, 2) does gymnastics twice per week, and 3) i'm not a big fan of team sports.
he kept saying that he wanted to try baseball so we signed him up and he lucked out with an awesome team of little-league veterans. one of our fears, and part of the reason we kept him out of b-ball so long, is that he's so small compared to the other kids that we knew he'd get picked on. well, so far it hasn't been too bad and the parents haven't been as competitive and annoying as we thought they'd be. Noah's been learning quickly and, although he's nowhere near as good as the bigger kids on his team, he's had some good hits at the plate and saves in the field.
So on Thursday at his game, his team was ahead by 8 points and noah was playing left field. They were changing out pitchers which left a lot of lag time for the already boring position of outfielder. Noah was having a good time kicking up dirt and talking to himself (he's easily entertained like his daddy ) and then he decided that a lull in the game would be a great time to do a roundoff (and i'm pretty sure he would've continued onto a back handspring if he didn't have his glove on ). I wasn't watching but i heard all the parents roar in laughter and then tell me what a delight it is to have a kid on the team that really enjoys playing and isn't overly serious about the game...he just has fun all the time.
after the game the coach made reference to paying attention, as he should have, and i also had a talk with noah about the outfield not being the place to do gymnastics stuff.
then at practice last night i watched as 2 of the more jock-ish kids started making fun of noah. "hey look at me..i'm a girl like noah!" as the kid proceeded to try and do a cartwheel. another kid chimed in with some type of girly insult all while noah sat quietly nearby and just ignored them.
i was furious! i asked him as we were leaving if this happens a lot and he said yes. he said there are 2-3 kids that always pick on him because he's the newest/smallest player. he said he told one of the coaches about it and the coach just told him to ignore the kids (of course, one of the kids in question is the coaches son).
in the parking lot, i pulled aside one of the dad's that has really been a great help to us new baseball parents and he said that he noticed the teasing at a previous game and brought it up to one of the coaches but, obviously, nothing has been done about it.
so here's where i'm at. the coaches don't really care and/or the kids aren't listening. i've always told noah that he's not allowed to get into a fight UNLESS he's has no other choice but to defend himself, and then, he better make sure the aggressor never wants to fight anyone again. (gymnast are about as strong as they come and i'll put my son's overall strength/endurance up against any traditional "athlete" ) noah and i spar all the time and though he may be small for his age he knows what he's doing.
anyway, i think it's time for him to stand up for himself and not let these kids pick on him. i told him that the next time they start teasing he is to confront the person and tell them that he won't let them pick on him anymore. i told him that i don't want him picking a fight but to stand up and not let it continue anymore....now if the other kid takes it a step further then..well...at least the instigator will know not to pick on noah anymore.
so anyway, sorry for the long rant but i was just so livid last night after watching those kids tease my son and then have him tell me that the coach just told him to ignore it!
maybe i'll have an update on this after his next game on wednesday.
Noah started playing little-league this year in minors. We held off on putting him in baseball for a while because 1) he's been racing bmx/mtb, 2) does gymnastics twice per week, and 3) i'm not a big fan of team sports.
he kept saying that he wanted to try baseball so we signed him up and he lucked out with an awesome team of little-league veterans. one of our fears, and part of the reason we kept him out of b-ball so long, is that he's so small compared to the other kids that we knew he'd get picked on. well, so far it hasn't been too bad and the parents haven't been as competitive and annoying as we thought they'd be. Noah's been learning quickly and, although he's nowhere near as good as the bigger kids on his team, he's had some good hits at the plate and saves in the field.
So on Thursday at his game, his team was ahead by 8 points and noah was playing left field. They were changing out pitchers which left a lot of lag time for the already boring position of outfielder. Noah was having a good time kicking up dirt and talking to himself (he's easily entertained like his daddy ) and then he decided that a lull in the game would be a great time to do a roundoff (and i'm pretty sure he would've continued onto a back handspring if he didn't have his glove on ). I wasn't watching but i heard all the parents roar in laughter and then tell me what a delight it is to have a kid on the team that really enjoys playing and isn't overly serious about the game...he just has fun all the time.
after the game the coach made reference to paying attention, as he should have, and i also had a talk with noah about the outfield not being the place to do gymnastics stuff.
then at practice last night i watched as 2 of the more jock-ish kids started making fun of noah. "hey look at me..i'm a girl like noah!" as the kid proceeded to try and do a cartwheel. another kid chimed in with some type of girly insult all while noah sat quietly nearby and just ignored them.
i was furious! i asked him as we were leaving if this happens a lot and he said yes. he said there are 2-3 kids that always pick on him because he's the newest/smallest player. he said he told one of the coaches about it and the coach just told him to ignore the kids (of course, one of the kids in question is the coaches son).
in the parking lot, i pulled aside one of the dad's that has really been a great help to us new baseball parents and he said that he noticed the teasing at a previous game and brought it up to one of the coaches but, obviously, nothing has been done about it.
so here's where i'm at. the coaches don't really care and/or the kids aren't listening. i've always told noah that he's not allowed to get into a fight UNLESS he's has no other choice but to defend himself, and then, he better make sure the aggressor never wants to fight anyone again. (gymnast are about as strong as they come and i'll put my son's overall strength/endurance up against any traditional "athlete" ) noah and i spar all the time and though he may be small for his age he knows what he's doing.
anyway, i think it's time for him to stand up for himself and not let these kids pick on him. i told him that the next time they start teasing he is to confront the person and tell them that he won't let them pick on him anymore. i told him that i don't want him picking a fight but to stand up and not let it continue anymore....now if the other kid takes it a step further then..well...at least the instigator will know not to pick on noah anymore.
so anyway, sorry for the long rant but i was just so livid last night after watching those kids tease my son and then have him tell me that the coach just told him to ignore it!
maybe i'll have an update on this after his next game on wednesday.
Last edited: