Three Life Lessons I Learned from my Young Athletes

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Last Updated on November 16, 2023 by The Smetz Files

I’m a mom to two active kiddos. We’ve tried all the sports. 

Hockey, flag football, golf: check, check, check.

Soccer, basketball, gymnastics: check, check, check.

Baseball & softball: check, check 

As we round out the fall baseball/softball season (our family’s current favorites!), here are three life lessons I’ve learned from my young athletes:

• Failure is inevitable
• Hard work is a choice
• Follow your passion

Failure is inevitable

This feels a little strong, especially since my young athletes are still in elementary school! But, the sentiment is true. Both my kids have experienced challenges and struggles in different sports. They’ve both focused on baseball and softball most recently and those sports are steeped in failure. Ted Williams famously said, ‘Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.’ Missing the mark 70% of the time can be discouraging, especially for kids learning this intricate, cerebral sport. Both my kids have met challenges in their game and we’ve spent countless discussions talking through how to handle adversity and keep trying. While it can be heavy, failure is inevitable is a great life lesson that extends far beyond their athletic endeavors. Having these conversations with the kids has reminded me to apply that same approach to aspects of my adulting. 

Hard work is a choice

Part of our conversations around how to manage failure has centered on the idea that hard work is a choice. We tend to focus on process over results with both kids when it comes to sports, establishing good study habits for school, and beyond. Part of the process is working hard outside of practice and games to refine your game. The kids have really shown me that working hard is a choice. They’ve decided to work on conditioning. After school they run, play catch, and do push ups and sit ups to increase their stamina and work on their core. I’m sure our neighbors think we are running an Olympic training facility, but the kids are choosing to work hard. In a world where things look easy, they show me each day that hard work is a choice worth making.

Follow your passion

I mentioned that we’ve tried lots of sports and various activities. We believe in giving the kids options to explore their interests and try new things to see what works for them. We are so grateful to be able to provide these opportunities for the kids. I wrote in a previous post that S made the brave decision to walk away from competitive gymnastics after several years of training. She decided she wanted to try new things and we encouraged her to follow her passion.

G was practically born with a baseball in his hand despite Jay’s best efforts to remain neutral on the topic. He’s never wanted his prior playing experiences to pressure G to play baseball, but for as long as he’s been alive, G has loved the game. We really leaned into the idea of giving G opportunities to try all the sports so he could make the decision on which sport to focus. As they’ve gotten older, their interests have shifted, but they both follow their passions in admirable ways. They keep showing me that passion fuels their hard work and that’s a great lesson for us all.

I can’t lie, it’s not always easy helping them navigate sports. There can be a lot of pressure on young athletes to perform. We try to maintain a healthy perspective with the kids. They’re still having fun with their friends, learning some great life lessons, and teaching us some great life lessons along the way.

What have sports taught your young athletes?

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