A couple of months ago my wife and I signed our kids up for music lessons - the first time this sports family has paid for private instruction of any kind and it got me thinking about what I wanted my kids to get out of their experience.

Our first goal for them was that we wanted to make sure they were having fun. Their music teacher is incredible (knowledgeable, supportive, patient, and engaging) and from the first lesson they couldn't stop talking about how excited they were to go back the next week. Mission accomplished!

Our second goal for them was to start developing a love and appreciation for music that hopefully will stick with them as they grow older. My wife and I love music and get so much joy out of playing our favorite bands on Sonos in the house and going to concerts, and we wanted to share that love with them. They've already been to 3 stadium size concerts in their young lives and sing along to our music in the car (in between Kidz Bop, Miley Cyrus, and Imagine Dragons of course)! The enthusiasm and joy that their music teacher brings to every lesson is infectious and because he loves teaching, they're really starting to love playing. Mission accomplished!

Our third goal was for them to start learning the basics of the instruments they're playing (piano and drums) as well as some of the theory behind what they're doing (age-appropriate of course). I play my guitar every day but didn't get a grounding the fundamentals of music theory as a kid which has made my learning curve much steeper than if I had some formal training when I was younger and, like all parents, we want to do my best to provide our kids with opportunities that we didn't have. Mission accomplished!

Our fourth goal was for them to understand that trying something new is always difficult at first and that the more time, effort, and practice they put to the piano and drums outside of lessons, the faster they will improve. This input/output relationship is true in sports, school, music, board games, etc, and the more they understand that effort and improvement are intrinsically connected, the more successful they'll be in life no matter what they choose to do in the future.

Here are some goals that we don't have for them:

We didn't sign them up for music lessons in order to become professional concert pianists or rock n roll drummers.

We didn't sign them up for music lessons in order to get college scholarships.

We didn't sign them up for music lessons in order to pad their high school resume.

We didn't sign them up for music lessons in order win some competition or recital.

If you know me, you can probably tell where I'm headed with this.

The reward of youth sports is not the destination, it's the journey. Same goes for music lessons. Or participating in theater. Or starting a club at school. Or community service.

The value of youth sports is what kids can learn about themselves and the life lessons that being on the field, on the court, and in the gym can teach.

So, as we head into the 2023 baseball season, let's all give our kids as many opportunities to have as a successful a season as possible, while always keeping perspective about what the real definition of success in youth sports should be.

Did they have fun? Do they want to keep playing? Did they learn something about themselves as an individual and athlete? Did they learn how to support their teammates? Did they learn how to respect their opponents and the umps? Did they develop a love and appreciation for the game on a pure level? Did they put in their best effort at all times? Did they learn to rebound when faced with adversity?

In our family, those are the metrics we use to define success in our kid's activities. Any trophies, championships, or personal recognition that might come later is simply a bonus (and byproduct of the effort they put into their activity), not the reason for participating in the first place.

Here's to an awesome 2023 - see you on the field!