Before we were softball parents...
We used to have regular lives (or so we thought)...it really doesn't seem that long ago.

We used to think anything that cost over $20.00 was a ridiculous price for any sports gear. Now the contents of our daughter's equipment bag are worth more and treated with more respect and security than anything else in our entire house.

We used to think a double header was "a long day at the park" Now after two games we are just warming up.

We used to enjoy going to dinner on the weekends...looking for the little out of the way places to enjoy the best seafood, steaks, etc., now we are hot dog and nacho connoisseurs and we tend to rate a city by the quality of the ball park snack bar.

We used to see sunflower seeds in the store and wonder who in their right mind would eat those things? Now we buy them in the economy packs and don't feel comfortable leaving the house without a bag.

Our lawn used to look like a carpet, green, trimmed, mowed and fertilized. Now we have large bare spots in it from the simulated distances from pitching mound to catcher and our garage door has dents in it from the fastballs that got away.

We used to have a garage for our cars. Now we have an indoor hitting facility and our cars sit out in the weather.

Our cars used to draw admiring looks, they were clean, shining and waxed...now the only attention they draw is when one of the girls decides to write, "wash me" in the dirt on them.

We used to sit and talk for hours about our day, issues, etc. We still do...however, now the conversation always turns to something about the game or our daughters’ performance.

We used to spend our summer vacations at the beach or visiting family. Now our vacations are planned around qualifiers and national championships.

We used to be concerned that we would fall into that old trap of living our lives through our kids...now we feel very privileged to be able to live our lives WITH our kids.

Yes, we are select softball parents...WHAT COULD BE BETTER?!