Patty & Eddie Hernandez
Eddie and Patty are married with a son of their own. Their son, Danny, is nine years old, and he is a young athlete. Danny has been playing baseball since he was three, so Patty and Eddie are definitely believers in the whole team sports at a young age thing. Eddie also played sports since he was young. He started with baseball and continued on to play football and soccer too. He believes that his years of "playing ball" are what shaped him to be the man, the father, and the husband he is today. He hopes to see the same development in his son.
6 years later, Danny has stuck by baseball. He enjoys playing others sports for recreation, but he takes his baseball seriously. He can often be found with a glove, bat, or ball in his hand waiting for someone to practice with him. "He definitely works very hard," say Eddie. "He may be going through a terrible slump hitting, yet he refuses to give up baseball. He just wants to work even harder." Eddie believes that this kind of perseverance is directly correlated to Danny's time as a young athlete. Although he is still very young, Danny is advanced in certain necessary traits compared to some kids his age. These include working with others, cooperation, patience, and - of course - perseverance. "He still needs some work on the losing part," Patty tells me. "Doesn't take that too well still!" But it is getting better, she reports. Even though he takes a loss to heart, he is learning how to deal with the feeling of losing. "Wining and losing is a life long lesson however no matter how much it hurts to lose, he after 20 minutes forgets about it and plays with his teammates," Eddie tells me.
One of the main problems with kids today is bullying. Whether it's in an elementary school, middle school, or even a high school, it's been a persistent problem for quite a while. This said, it is very important to be able to interact well with others, and have thick skin, so that these kinds of encounters can be avoided. It is debatable whether team sports foster or condemn these kinds of interactions, but Eddie has seen nothing but positivity from his child. "He definitely has thick skin, and he knows bad sportsmanship when he sees it." He has developed the thick skin throughout the years of playing. Whenever you're in a competitive situation, people try to get in your head to make you fail. The only thing you can do is block them out and do what you do best. This is exactly what kids like Danny are being taught to do, and it has helped them tremendously. Never have I heard of a complaint from Danny's teachers at school about him being bullied or vice versa.
6 years later, Danny has stuck by baseball. He enjoys playing others sports for recreation, but he takes his baseball seriously. He can often be found with a glove, bat, or ball in his hand waiting for someone to practice with him. "He definitely works very hard," say Eddie. "He may be going through a terrible slump hitting, yet he refuses to give up baseball. He just wants to work even harder." Eddie believes that this kind of perseverance is directly correlated to Danny's time as a young athlete. Although he is still very young, Danny is advanced in certain necessary traits compared to some kids his age. These include working with others, cooperation, patience, and - of course - perseverance. "He still needs some work on the losing part," Patty tells me. "Doesn't take that too well still!" But it is getting better, she reports. Even though he takes a loss to heart, he is learning how to deal with the feeling of losing. "Wining and losing is a life long lesson however no matter how much it hurts to lose, he after 20 minutes forgets about it and plays with his teammates," Eddie tells me.
One of the main problems with kids today is bullying. Whether it's in an elementary school, middle school, or even a high school, it's been a persistent problem for quite a while. This said, it is very important to be able to interact well with others, and have thick skin, so that these kinds of encounters can be avoided. It is debatable whether team sports foster or condemn these kinds of interactions, but Eddie has seen nothing but positivity from his child. "He definitely has thick skin, and he knows bad sportsmanship when he sees it." He has developed the thick skin throughout the years of playing. Whenever you're in a competitive situation, people try to get in your head to make you fail. The only thing you can do is block them out and do what you do best. This is exactly what kids like Danny are being taught to do, and it has helped them tremendously. Never have I heard of a complaint from Danny's teachers at school about him being bullied or vice versa.