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The Ecstasy & Agony of Every Pitch When My Daughter Is At Bat!

It’s a situation every softball parent has lived through: our daughter goes up to hit and, while shouting encouraging words to our favorite batter, the inner stress levels go to Def Con 5!

If you’re a softball parent, you’ve definitely been in this scenario: you’re daughter steps in at the plate and it seems like it’s 100-times more stressful on YOU, the parent in the stands, than the athlete on the field!

In this hilarious “simulation” of one such at bat, Stef Daniel, a softball mom of four beautiful young athletes and also the founder of Softball Is For Girls—one of the biggest and most successful softball sites and a partner with Extra Inning Softball–details how excruciating it can be to sweat out an at-bat pitch by pitch with all the ramifications it can have on a player, parent, team and the world at large!

Check out Stef’s previous blogs: “Today My Daughter Drove Herself to Practice… And Why I Hated Itand If You Give a Girl a Softball… Be Careful Of What Comes Next! which also deal with the ups and downs of being a softball parent.

*****

Oh My Gosh, how many outs do we have? Two outs. Are you serious????? Oh Gosh (folding head into hands) why does she always come up to bat when there are two outs with people on base? This is ridiculous, oh please, I hope she doesn’t miss. If she misses, we are definitely going to lose this game. Wasn’t she up to bat last time we had two outs? This is crazy. What’s the score?

“COME ON HONEY, YOU CAN DO IT!”

Oh, she better do it. All that money I have spent on hitting lessons, she better hit the ball. She better put the ball in play. Is this pitcher really fast? I mean she looks like she is 20-years-old. How in the world is my daughter supposed to hit when the pitcher is eight-years-older than her?!? We need to see a birth certificate. Why haven’t the coaches asked for a birth certificate. What 12-year-old is six feet tall?!?

“HIT THE BALL HONEY – YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOU!”

Believe in you my butt. Holy crap, did the umpire just call that a strike??? That was not a strike. How in the BLEEP is she supposed to hit a ball in the dirt? This umpire needs glasses. Was that a strike to you? I need to just shut up or else I am going to get thrown out of this game…

One thing’s always for sure: if it’s a called strike when your daughter is batting, then the umpire is definitely wrong, potentially even blind.

“DON’T WORRY I WOULDN’T HAVE SWUNG AT THAT EITHER, HONEY!”

Umpires. Oh my gosh, what’s the count. I can’t look. I am going to close my eyes… someone just tell me if she hits the ball. What’s the count now? Yeah… you better have called that a ball, you blind umpire.

“PICK YOUR PITCH HONEY, YOU GOT THIS!”

Two balls, one strike. She better not swing at any junk. Why is it that my daughter is always up to bat with two outs? Do they do this on purpose? I can’t handle this. My butt is numb, I think I need to get up and walk. I wonder if it will distract her if I get up and move… maybe I should just sit here? Does anyone have a Blow Pop? OH MY GOSH SHE SWUNG AND MISSED! How did she miss that?!?

“KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL KID, YOU GOT TWO ON YOU!”

She better not miss the next one, if she swings at a ball in the dirt I am making her clean the toilets when she gets home. Does anyone know the score.?Seriously, we are behind by one with two runners on and my daughter is up to bat? Oh jeez, does anyone have a Solo Cup I could borrow? That lady on the bleachers from the other team better just shut her mouth and stop heckling my child.

Maybe the pitcher will just hit her so she can take a free base. Yes, that’s it… hit her! Hit her in the fat part of her leg where it won’t hurt too bad. We can post a picture of the bruise on Instagram later. Softball bruises are so cool. This pitcher is 20-years old anyways, she shouldn’t be pitching to children. Oh no, did I just say that out loud?!?

“FULL COUNT! BALL 3… YOU GOT THIS! KEEP YOUR HEAD ON IT!”

What’s the count? Oh yeah, full count. Why doesn’t the coach call for the girls on base to steal? Stupid coach. Oh my gosh, two outs. Is this our last at bat? How much time is left in the game? What’s the score? Why don’t they ever have working score boards at this tournament?!? As much as I pay to be here and they cannot even have scoreboards that work… just ridiculous. I bet if these were boys’ games they would have working scoreboards. I need to file a complaint, this is ridiculous.

Oh crap, did I pay the electric bill? Where is Lilly? I told her to stay right here. I am going to kill that child. She will be OK at the playground by herself for just a minute, I mean there are probably cuter kids to steal.

(Grabbing the hand of the mom beside me) I am just gonna cover my ears and eyes, tell me what happens? But what if she hits one out and then I wasn’t looking? She better hit! We just had a hitting lesson Thursday and she was hitting like a beast. Why is it she can hit so well in the cage but not on the field? Maybe we need a new hitting instructor. Did she just foul that off? YESSSSS, she fouled it off!

“KEEP BATTLING HONEY – YOU CAN WIN IT!”

She better win it. I didn’t get up at the butt-crack of dawn to watch her lose a game for her team. Does she know I have to sit here with all these other moms and I know if she misses they will blame the whole game on my daughter? Never mind the fact that their daughter walked in two runs and the shortstop booted two balls that should have been easy outs. Why doesn’t anyone else cheer for my daughter? Wait, are they cheering? I cheer for their daughter! I wonder what they are all really thinking. Oh my GOSH, here it comes – she better not stand there and let a strike go by! I can’t watch. What happened? Why is everyone screaming? Oh thank GOSH she got a hit!

“GREAT HIT HONEY, I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!!!!!!!”

Oh, Thank GOODNESS, she hit the ball and scored the run! They really need to put in a runner for her, they know she’s not fast. Wonder if I should ask the coach? If the next girl hits a ball to second she won’t make it to second. Oh my gosh, I can breathe again. Who is up to bat next? Oh whatever, it doesn’t matter… as long as it’s not my daughter!

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