Anxiety

Anxiety.  Why does it have to exist?

My son, he can pitch pretty darn good.  Two weeks ago, he was the starting pitcher in a game.  In 4 innings, he pitched 9 strikeouts, but all he remembers are the bad pitches.

I keep his pitch count at every game, and this is not your ordinary pitch count!  I track every statistic important to him…..how many pitches per batter per inning and how many of those were balls or strikes, how many pickoff attempts (and how many were successful), if the batter got a hit, if the batter was walked…  I hand him the paper after the game and he studies it for days.  Yet, he only seems to notice the “bad” stuff.

He recently was asked to join a travel team, something he takes great pride in, but tonight when the coach asked him if he was ready to go in and relief pitch, he had a much less than enthusiastic response.  Anxiety.  Extreme anxiety!  I had a discussion with him on the way home, and he said he thought he was a really good pitcher in regular league ball but not in travel ball.  I asked him, “Um, if you pitch a strike to a kid in league ball, or throw that same pitch to a kid in travel ball, what is it the difference?”

“Um, I don’t know.”

“There isn’t one.  A good pitch is a good pitch.”

“But what if they hit it?”

“Then your teammates will field it, that is what they are there for.”

“But they hit it harder in travel ball.”

“But your fielders are better in travel ball.”

“But….”

And but, and but, and but.

Finally, I said, “Do you think I will be mad if you don’t pitch a good game?”

“I don’t know.”

“Have I EVER been upset over a game?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You know that coaches want you to pitch because you can, right?”

“I guess so.”

“And being part of a team is doing what you are good at to help?”

“Duh, Mom.”

“So?”

“Sorry, Mom.  I just get scared people will get mad.”

Anxiety.  An emotion I wish we didn’t have!  But, I understand, I get it too.  That’s why they have wine.  Unfortunately, not a good solution for helping your kid!