We want a pitcher ...

Undoubtedly, some of the most excruciating moments as a parent are watching our children perform under pressure. Whether it's a spelling bee or running a race, all eyes are on our child and we want them to succeed.

Carter made his debut on the pitcher's mound this week. As I mentioned previously, this is first year he is in "real" baseball, where the kids, not the coaches, pitch. Just in case there's some hidden talent to uncover, the coach rotates all the kids in all the positions.

I knew from practices that Carter was not gifted in the pitching department. Jim had reported that his pitches went wide or fell short of home plate. Carter had come home declaring, "Guess who's the worst pitcher on the team? Me!"

So I was worried when it was his turn in the real game. I found myself shielding my eyes like I do when I don't want to see a gory scene in a movie. But it wasn't so bad. Thanks to a very generous strike zone, he did throw some strikes but ended up walking in a run. (For you non-baseball folks, that means four batters in a row got on base and the fourth one was walked, sending the man on third home for the score.)

That was the end of it. They called in another kid from the bull pen (well, not really) and he was done. We were worried how Carter would react so we didn't mention pitching or anything to do with it until we got home.

We expected some sort of tantrum about the pressure and how he doesn't deserve to play, etc. Instead he walked in the door and said, "I need to work on my pitching." Dad says, "We can practice that." Carter says, "Sure!"

Wow, a positive attitude and a willingness to change -- and improve. Those are the home runs moms and dads really love!