If you’ve been around my daughter for all of 10 minutes or longer, you’ve probably discovered that she is one of the biggest little Royals fans out there. My husband and I are avid fans, and we started teaching her the “Let’s Go Royals!” cheer when she was a little over 1 year old. She caught on rather quickly, and now, it seems as though any time there is the slightest reprieve from noise, she fills it with a resounding “LET’S GO ROYALS!” cheer. It’s in all caps because she, like all true fans, has to yell it 90% of the time. Not just an enthusiastic yell, but an “I”m going to make you lose all train of thought and interrupt any conversation you were trying to have” kind of a yell. (Which is especially nice in public.) All we can usually manage to do is laugh and clap along. What’s funny is that she’s manipulated it to the point where sometimes, she’ll say it extra slow, so we’ll clap extra slow, she’ll say is super fast so we will clap super fast, and she’ll even whisper it so we barely clap. She gets the biggest kick out of it, and in the meantime, my husband and I are being puppeteered by a two year old, being at the mercy of her every Royals cheer.

We took her to her first game this summer, and she loved it. Granted, she is two, and lasted about 20 minutes (tops) at a time in our seats, but between visits to the Hall of Fame, the fountains, and the Little K (and several trips to see “Ariel” {her potty chair}), she lasted the entire game! She kept saying, “Look! The Royals are right there!” Of course, her favorite part was when the “Let’s Go Royals” cheer came over the sound system. When it would end, she’d look at us and say, “More Royals?” as if we had control when it would come over the speakers. I hope to never forget her first experience at the K.

Tonight was no exception to the “Let’s Go Royals” rule – any awkward silence (is it possible to have an awkward silence with a two year old?) was filled with the cheer, and I clapped and cheered along. We popped some popcorn and sat down to watch the game. (Note – if we are eating popcorn, she’ll sit and do just about anything.) We watched about two innings together (that’s how long the “pot-torn” lasted), then we were off to the playroom, and I spent the rest of our time tonight periodically checking the score. (In case you’re wondering, Royals are tied with the Bluejays in the 11th right now, and she’s fast asleep in bed.) Anyway, in our two innings of focused baseball watching time, I so enjoyed explaining different aspects of the game to her. (And by aspects, I mean “Look, he’s trying to hit the ball the pitcher is pitching!” “Yes, I know he hit the ball but it was foul – he has to hit it between the white lines.” “You get three strikes and you’re out. Four balls means you get to go to first base.” etc.) Yes, I understand she is two, and yes, I understand that she probably has very little comprehension of what I was actually telling her (because let’s be honest – sometimes she sees basketball on the TV and screams “ROYALS!” I like to think we’ve progressed a little from that.). However, I will say she did impress me a bit when a Royal would swing and miss, and she’d say “Awww, MISS!” Or when Infante almost got hit with a pitch (to his face!) and she said, “Him ok, Mommy?” She did seem to understand when I told her whether we wanted the batter to get a hit or to get out. But that could have been my imagination. My favorite was probably when Rios caught a ball in right field and she said, “Him GOT it, Mommy!” in her high pitched, squealy voice. Yes him did, sweetie.

Anyway, I thought our little baseball watching experience would lend itself well to a topic I think about frequently when it comes to raising my daughter. “Will she want to play sports?”  I would love for her to play sports. I think it is something we could really enjoy together, and bond immensely over. I love what sports teaches youth about life, overcoming adversity, work ethic, humility, failure, teamwork, accountability – it seems like the list is endless. I like when females push boundaries and break through barriers that have previously existed. An empowered female athlete is someone to be reckoned with, right?

Then I sometimes have the thought, “But what if she doesn’t?” And you know what? That will be great, too. I just want her to find something she loves. If it’s not sports, we will find something else. (Royals just lost in the bottom of the 11th, in case you were curious. Good thing she’s in bed – oh wait, she doesn’t quite understand the concept of winning and losing yet. All is well in her world.) Ok, back to the point. Sports are not the end all/be all for the life lessons mentioned above. No matter what she chooses to do in life, I am confident that we can instill those qualities in her. She needs to find something she is passionate about. If it’s sports, we’ll be tickled pink. If it’s music, we’ll be thrilled. If it’s art, I’ll be jealous, and very happy. If it’s dance, more power to her (Lord knows her mama won’t be able to help her there).  You get the point. I want her to enjoy how she spends her time, not resent it. No matter which avenue she chooses, we will work to make her see the value of discipline, dedication, commitment, work ethic, and a positive attitude. (Remind me of that when she’s a teenager, ok?)

What do I hope for my daughter? I hope she finds something she loves and she does it to the best of her ability. I hope she has the skill to balance it with other aspects of her life, and is able to become a well-rounded individual. I hope she finds time to hang out with ol’ mom and dad along the way. I hope we can have special moments together, whether it’s on a sports field/court or not. I hope she values learning and understands that education is the key to becoming and doing what you want and love in life. I hope she is an individual with a growth mindset, and understands that she is capable of amazing things with the willingness to learn and some elbow grease. (I also hope she wants to learn a foreign language – sorry, had to throw that in there.) Yes, I have a lot of hopes and dreams for my little one, although I know she will develop her own. But you know what I hope most of all (other than her continued health and safety)? I hope she is kind, compassionate, and faithful. I want her to be a good person with a heart of gold. I hope she puts others first, yet at the same time is a self-respecting, strong willed young lady.

The scary part is, a lot of these things that I hope for her, they’re up to my husband and me. There’s no manual telling you how to get these things for your children. Sure, there are parenting books, but there’s no true guide to parenthood. You make the decisions you feel are best for your children, and guide them along the path that is guided by your big picture hopes and goals for them. These decisions – they’re not easy. A lot of the times, they make her cry (I don’t think we have to worry about the strong-willed part). But we move forward, knowing that these choices in how we raise her are good for her character. More than anything though, we choose to fill our house with love.

…Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

-Colossians 3:12-14

If you took the time to read this, I thank you. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it.

-Megan