My three year old (AsthmaMan) started playing tee-ball this season. Since his older brother started at three and has been playing ever since (you know a whole 2.5 years) I thought this was a good idea.

There were a lot of great things about this idea, but the reality was kinda awful.

First off, remember the older brother (Harry Potter), well he still plays tee-ball so he had to go to tee-ball too.

It turns out their practices were at almost the same time, ok they were 30 minutes apart, but given rush hour traffic (thank you 5:30pm and 6:00pm practice times) I would literally drop the younger one off with Dad in the parking lot (Dad was the coach) and find the fastest way to the other practice, we’d generally make it just in time.

Second, in order to go to practice you have to be ready for practice.

AsthmaMan had practice and the game the same day (pretty sweet), so he needed to be dressed in his full three year old uniform.

When I was playing sports as a kid we had uniforms, but they were mismatched, let’s just say those days are over.

There’s no extra large grey sweatpants used as baseball pants because that’s what you had.

There are practice pants and game day pants, baseball socks, belts, etc.

I’m pretty sure half of my younger son’s team isn’t even potty trained yet… so it’s super important their belts match.

So we rush to get everyone into their tight pants with the super high socks, which I’m fairly certain were invented by someone that hates mothers.

Getting ready also involves eating the world’s fastest dinner.

Some kids are awesome and efficient eaters, none of those people live in my house. My kids eat painfully slow on a good day, on a baseball day, it’s the worst.

We get our clothes on, are offered dinner (which we refuse to eat for a myriad of reasons), and then get in the car.

By then someone is crying, water-bottles and baseball bags are left on the mud bench, Mom is about to scream (or currently screaming), and then we hit the traffic, the glorious 5:00pm traffic.

Third, baseball is a time commitment.

Remember the two kids in sports, that means they each have practice and a game- each week!

I know some day they will have more than one practice so I’m not really complaining.

But I have to say when the season ends, there is a part of me that is going to be a little bit ecstatic to have my Monday nights and Saturdays back (you know until next season starts).

Fourth, baseball is really close to bedtime, like dangerously close.

Making my kids do something at bedtime is virtually impossible. Making my kids do something they know I want them to do when they realize they can make a giant scene by not doing it… is the best.

The cherry on top of the wonder that is taking three kids 5 and under to baseball practice.

All that aside, I have loved watching the boys play baseball.

Ok, they are playing tee-ball, I guess there’s a huge difference.

Seriously, people looking for great sources of entertainment need to watch children play tee-ball. The younger kids (I’m talking about the 4 and under crowd) have absolutely no idea what is going on.

Each child has a parent or coach (or both) with them on the field, half the team is crying, digging, or facing the wrong direction. And the other half of the team has no idea what to do if the ball makes it towards them.

Every time the ball is hit they all SWARM in, forget the position you’re playing, that is irrelevant.

AsthmaMan played third base last night… he spent most of the time hanging out about 3 feet in front of home plate so he could grab the ball (that’s about as far as they hit it) and throw it in the direction of first base. I admire his enthusiasm and awareness, after 4 seasons of watching his brother play, he knew, the kid closest to home plate gets the most balls… except remember how he was playing third base?

Harry Potter’s team is a bit more, let’s call it organized. Only the coaches are allowed on the field with the kids and they have to fill specific rolls (like batting coach, base coach, etc.).

The kids stand relatively where they are supposed to and they understand (mostly) the role of their position. This season they even got a few plays in (yeah it was pretty sweet). On this team the excitement came with the batting. They still aren’t the best at actually catching the ball, so mostly they just throw it in the general direction and the other kid runs after the ball, but they’re learning! They learned to tag people out, it was a big deal.

This year they played to three outs or five runs… do you know what a big difference this makes in a baseball game- it’s HUGE. Now the kids are engaged, well some of them are, there was still that kid that thought second base was boring so he spent most of the time facing center field chatting with the shortstop, oh wait that was my kid. But let’s be honest, they are still most concerned with batting, and looking cool while they bat. This season we had the kid with the awesome batting gloves (mine), the kid that spun around, the girl dressed in hot pink including cleats and bat (they were the Giants so this was great), the girl with the rainbow pony sweatshirt, the kid that chucked the bat farther than he hit the ball, the list continues.

It is a parade of hilarity.

With the season(s) drawing to a close I have to admit I’m a bit sad to see it end.

I have enjoyed all the humor these practices and games have brought to our family.

We will be back next spring, but what am I going to do now that I don’t have to hunt down all the baseball uniforms twice a week or yell at my kid to be “baseball ready” from the bleachers?