Written by This is the final installment of the series for the 10 Commandments at a baseball game. For a sport that is 150 years old, I would like to see it continue for at least another 150 years!
10. Thou shalt teach thy children the commandments.
This final commandment is near and dear to my heart. I didn’t discover baseball when I was a child so I had to learn all the commandments the hard way. It may seem counter-intuitive to include children in a discussion of societal rules and structure but the earlier they are exposed to how to work well with their neighbors the more natural it will be for them to respect others. These lessons will carry on into their interactions at school, during other sporting events and at home with the family. How can you argue with that?!
Please, bring kids to the game! Let them enjoy baseball! Let them enjoy the ballpark!
But understand that your unruly four year old kicking the seat in front of them (mine) or fighting with his six year old sister and knocking their soda onto the ground and into the row in front of them (mine) or just in general demanding constant attention, food, potty breaks, and distraction breaks the fundamental concept of respecting the other fans at the game (commandment #2). I have taken more kids to games than I can literally count – I have a huge family and believe it’s a fundamental joy I can provide. So I know what I’m talking about when I say it isn’t just expected that kids should be allowed to do whatever because they’re kids and others should be expected to deal with it. B as in B and S as in S. If you cannot control the kids you are bringing, take them away. It’s your responsibility. You are the adult – supposedly.
But put in that effort! Start early! TEACH THEM! There is nothing more emotive than a kid at a game who gets his/her first foul ball or learning about rally caps or catching that contagious enthusiasm from 35,000 people all screaming at a fantastic game of baseball. I have experienced those exact things with various youngsters and I’ll remember those occasions for the rest of my life – and they have brought new fans to the game each time. This is a gift you can give the children in your life. But again, it’s a privilege – and you BOTH have to earn it.
For those who have lost track of all the Commandments or would like to see them all together and share them, here’s a Powerpoint presentation. Just click and save AND SHARE: Ballpark 10 Commandments or a the PDF
At a day game, sitting behind me was a day care–the kids were probably three or four years old. That teacher worked hard! She made sure the kids stayed in their seats, and weren’t kicking the seats in front of them. She wasn’t dictator about it, so the kids still had fun. It’s a fond memory–hopefully for the kids, but definitely for me!
By taking the kids to the ballpark when they’re little, they learn some of the rules by osmosis. It becomes a principle they follow not because someone told them, but because they’ve never done it.
These rules are awesome. Thanks for writing them!