Multiple kids in travel ball - Family Strain - What to do?

[efastball]

I had 5 kids in multiple travel sports. Rookie.

 

[_MIA_]

I had 5 kids in multiple travel sports. Rookie.

How did you get them everywhere? Are you a polygamist?

 

[Travis Lassiter]

I can tell you this for sure, if your wife says, 'don't coach'.

Don't.

I will second this! If the wife says it's best not to you better believe it's best not to lol. Your life will be much easier. Plus it might earn you some brownie points with her!

 

[Bernmoll]

No coaching here but we split time with who goes to Saturday vs Sunday games between DD softball and son’s 8u travel Baseball games we frequently do Rock Paper Scissors to see who will go to what. Loser typically goes to DS 8u travel baseball games. Baseball is full of crazy parents at 8u.. ha.. and still not sure why we committed to doing it.

 

[uncdrew]

The idea is to not coach so that we can alternate which child we support when both have a tournament. If I am coaching it would force my wife to look after my youngest, and she would have to go to my DS baseball tournament. She would also always miss my DDs softball.


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Yes, you'll need to not coach.

However, there are many positives to that.

1. Your family life will be better
2. You and your wife can better pick who goes where on game days
3. You don't have to deal with parents
4. You can assist on the field with both kids. Coaches always need more help.
5. Your oldest is at the age that you might not be equipped to coach much more anyway, as they learn more than you know and you're not able to give them the coaching they need


You're a parent. You make decisions that are best for your kids and your family, not that are best for you.

 

[Gambler Bob]

I have coached my daughter's travel softball team for the last four years. My daughter will be a 14u player next year. My son will be moving up to 11u travel baseball next year.

Basically, I miss most of my son's baseball games. I do go to his games when my daughter is not playing so I might catch my son playing a tournament 1 time per month if I am lucky. My daughter's team does a lot of traveling, no chance of going to my son's games in between my daughter's games.

It is just not possible to give the kids equal attention in terms of watching there games if you want to coach your daughter's team. It is what it is. The best we can do is during the winter I am with my son for his travel basketball. My wife takes my daughter to her travel basketball games.

 

[Wildfire]

If you stop coaching and there is a tournament for both how is it delt with?

 

[YOCOACH]

Actually as I don’t physically go to many of DD’s games on the weekend, and at this point DS games are during the week, I have plenty of time to mow…doesn’t actually mean I do it though

Bought this as a birthday present to myself this year. Now I grab a cold one and go mow. It's a little 30 inch deck but my yard is smaller than a postage stamp so...

 

[YOCOACH]

On to the topic at hand. I have had many families through the last 20 years that have had multiple siblings in TB simultaneously. They would split duties. Mom would go with one and the younger one on Saturday to the tournament and Dad would go with the other. On Sunday they switched. The few that tried to coach with this scenario almost ended in divorce. One actually did and none of them are playing sports other than school ball since Mom gained full custody. There may gave been extenuating circumstances on that one though. I didn't hear anything negative about the Dad but who knows nowadays.

 

[ang2bmd]

Also have 2. They don't play every single weekend at the same time. Husband coaches the youngest so I see her when I can and travel with the oldest. It is what it is and kids adapt, but if the wife is asking/telling you don't coach then I'd listen. When our kids were little husband used to officiate basketball and football and it was too much...I asked he listened still married...lol

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