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How Baseball Can Help You Become a Better Dad

An Excerpt from Covering Home: Lessons on the Art of Fathering from the Game of Baseball

By Jack Petrash

• Be present. Willie Mays said that good players can play with their bodies, but great players play with their hearts and minds, as well. The same is true for fathering – if a man puts his heart and mind into being a father, he will be a great dad.
• Understand the pace of the game and manage accordingly. Like baseball, childhood has its early, middle and late innings. Each period requires a unique strategy to meet its particular needs.
• To be an all-star, make the highlight film. Build a family tradition of memorable events. Childhood memories are extremely important, and even the simplest routines can leave a lasting impression that children will remember years from now.
• Avoid the blooper reel. When angry words and angry actions inflame a difficult situation, fathers need to learn to step off the mound and call time before errors or lack of control make a mess of things.

Above all, Petrash tells fathers not to focus on their failures. Even world championship teams have lost 60 games in one season, and Petrash teaches dads not to obsess about their mistakes, but instead focus on their successes. "Like baseball, fathering is a path of development," he says. "We are not the same people in the end as we were in the beginning. Through repeated practice and repeated gaffes, fatherhood will enable us to develop admirable qualities such as self-sacrifice, restraint, perseverance and flexibility. ... Fatherhood will call on us to grow in ways we never imagined."

Want to see more?

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• Daddy Plays Best: Sharing Your Athletic Interests With Your Kids
• Talk about it!