Here are a few good reasons why I think girls should play softball in the springtime:
1. You don't have to be in shape. Running is minimal and only in short bursts between bases.
2. You get to play in dirt and get muddy. Yesss! In fact, good players often get the dirtiest.
3. You get to use your arms! What a waste the arms are in soccer except for the goalie. In softball, girls can use their arms and hands all of the time and it's not illegal! You catch, throw, and bat and get to use those arms.
4. You get to swing a bat! This is a skill for life. I even have a bat next to our front door for security purposes. If I hadn't played the game, I would have had to buy an alarm system for my house. Think of all of the money I saved! The girls will learn to use a bat properly and it may come in handy later in life.
5. You learn to accept individual blame for mistakes. In soccer, everything is the goalie's fault. In softball, every player gets to learn to deal with their own mistakes. If you strike out, we know it was you. If you make an error, we know it was you.
6. You get to throw stuff at people! When you are a kid, throwing stuff at people is wrong. But in softball, you get to throw the ball to other fielders and it is right!
7. You get to steal! All through life, kids are taught that stealing is wrong, but in softball, you get to steal bases! And it is a good thing.
8. Softball reinforces family values. In softball, you score points when you come "home" or make a "home run.” Children usually get in trouble for not coming home, but softball reinforces being home and off the streets.
9. Girls who play softball are more creative than girls who don't. It's true, the Internet says so (after I post it on there.) Some people say softball is too slow and there is too much standing around. But I heard a famous opera was composed in a girl's head while she was playing right field in a softball game. Besides, kids are under a lot of pressure these days. Why not let them play a sport where they can chill out at times in the outfield and try to catch lightning bugs?
10. Softball prepares girls for parenthood. Yes, that's right. Isn't standing around at sports games the definition of parenthood? I've seen a lot of you and that's what it looks like you're doing to me because that's what I'm doing. A little softball during the early years starts building up their endurance for being parents similar to the way those Baby Einstein DVDs prepared them for elementary school. I also know you're probably stressing out about the SATs and college coming up in a few years, but think about their post-college years too where they will be standing at sports events for hours. Softball gets them ready for that.