I got to Hesse Park on Monday at 7:30am to start setting up for 70 campers (!!!!) and while I was getting the field ready, I was overcome by a powerful sense of gratitude.

I was on a baseball field in NOVEMBER, wearing a tee shirt, under blue skies, and with a view of the Pacific Ocean. Is this real life? PINCH ME!

Even after living here for over 20 years, I still vividly remember playing sports on the east coast. Playing soccer as a 10 year old in freezing rain, playing long toss in High School with our feet in 3 inches of snow because at least it was a sunny day and we could get out of the gym for a few minutes, taking groundballs at 6am on the roof of the fieldhouse at Brown in 30 degree February Rhode Island weather because our field was too wet to play on, Catching doubleheaders during High School Summer Ball in D.C. in 95 degree heat and 100% humidity...I could go on and on.

And now here, I find myself on a field overlooking the ocean in perfect weather. In the middle of the Winter. Lucky is an understatement.

And as a bonus, both Maddux and Sloane were in camp so on top of everything else that was awesome about Monday, I got to be on the field with my kids.

That got me thinking: I never want us parents to lose sight of how lucky we are to have this time with our kids.

Forget the awesome weather and incredible views for a minute. Just getting to spend time doing fun things like sports with our kids is a gift, and one that I don't take for granted. In a couple years, not only might they not be playing sports anymore, but they'll be teenagers who have finally figured out that my wife and I are, in fact, the 2 dumbest people in the history of the world and they won't want to hang out with us nearly as much as they do now.

I know I'm trying to savor every minute right now.

But then when I think about some of things and I've seen and heard on local fields this year, I worry that too many parents have completely lost sight of what really matters.

Fights at flag football games, parents screaming at volunteer coaches and quitting the team in the middle of a game, adults yelling at their kids for dropping a flyball or making a bad pass in football - I'm sure you've got plenty of your own stories to tell.

While that type of adult behavior is unacceptable (and unforgivable) in opinion, I feel sad not only for the kids who are having the fun of sports robbed from them, but also for the parents. How tragic is that some parents not only can't find joy in the incredible gift of watching their child play with their friends, but that they'll behave in a way that makes the experience worse for everyone around them?

And for what?

Nobody is getting a college scholarship this weekend, even if they score 47 goals in their soccer game.

Nobody got an NFL contract last weekend, even after they ran for 11 touchdowns.

And nobody will be joining Dodgers at 2025 Spring Training, even if they hit 19 homeruns and are the tournament MVP in Palm Springs next week.

But plenty of kids across the country will have their sports experience ruined by adults this weekend. That's a fact.

The days of getting to watch our kids play sports with their friends are fleeting. There's no reason to spend this special time suffering from the stands, sidelines, or in the dugout.

I've stayed in touch with a lot of the parents whose kids I've coached over the years; parents whose kids played Little League and are now out of college. Parents whose kids played High School soccer and are now getting married and having kids of their own.

Every single one of them says the same thing when I ask them to look back on their child's youth sports experience: "I wish I hadn't taken it so seriously."

We can't go back in time; this is our only shot with our kids.

So rather than getting wrapped up in playing time, stats, who made the all-star team, or what the ref called, let's all just take a step back and realize how insanely LUCKY we are to get to have these few years with our kids.

Let's all relax and remember why they play sports: to have fun and be with their friends. Youth sports is supposed to be 100% about the kid's experience and enjoyment, not ours.

When we project or own desires, insecurities, baggage, anxiety, and expectations on them, it only makes the experience less rewarding and less fun for everyone.

So this weekend, whether you're at an AYSO soccer game, or a baseball tournament, or a water polo match, if you start to feel yourself getting heated, if you feel your temperature start to rise, or you start to feel frustration from something happening on the field...take a deep breath and look around.

You're in one of the most beautiful areas, in the greatest country in the world, getting to watch your child do something they love.

How can that make you feel anything but lucky?!?!

I understand how easy it is to get wrapped up in all the craziness these days, but make sure to prioritize your child's experience and your mental health... and just enjoy the ride.

As we approach Thanksgiving and hopefully take some time to reflect on what we're thankful for, I hope the joy of simply getting to spend time with our kids on the field is what we all take away from our collective youth sports experience.

PLAY HARD, HAVE FUN!