Confessions of a Baseball Parent

·I used to have a regular life. (Actually, many of my friends say that sentence should say, "I used to have a life", period.) It doesn't really seem that long ago. Then I became a baseball parent.

·I used to think anything over $40 was an exorbitant price for a baseball bat. Now the contents of my son’s equipment bag are worth more than everything else in the house -- including clothes, jewelry, watches, and my laptop computer.

·I used to think a double-header was a long day at the ball field. Now after two games we're just getting warmed up.

·I used to look for fancy restaurants that served seafood and prime-rib. Now I'm a connoisseur of nachos and hot dogs and my kids rate a city by the quality of a tournaments snack bar!

·Sunflower seeds used to be something I would see at a store and wonder who would eat those things? Now I don't feel comfortable leaving the house with out a bag in my pocket.

·My lawn used to be like a carpet. It was green, mowed, trimmed, fertilized, and watered. Now I have two big bare spots fifty feet apart and dents in my garage door from fastballs that got away!

·My car used to draw admiring looks and comments. It was clean and waxed and shined and Armor-All'd. Now it only draws attention when it wins the "dirtiest car in the parking lot" prize, or it is covered in "go team" shoe-polish.

·I used to have a garage, now I have an indoor batting area.

·My friends and I used to spend Monday mornings talking about a round of golf or movie we had just seen. Now I bore them to death with detailed play-by-play descriptions of a couple of low-scoring ball games.

·We used to sit and talk for hours. We still do-- however, now it's to keep the driver awake when we're headed home from an away baseball game.

·My summer casual wardrobe used to be made up of color-coordinated polo shirts, cool cottons in bright colors, and the occasional "aloha" shirt. Now I have a closet full of orange and blueT-shirts that have Escambia Gators on the front.

·I used to be concerned that I would fall into the trap of living my life through my kid. Now I know that I'm privileged to live my life WITH my kid, and I wouldn't have it any other way!!!

Yes, I'm a Escambia Gator Baseball Parent, what could be better!