I throw #LikeAGirl and I’m proud of it! #pgmom

When I was 7 I wanted to play baseball. It didn’t matter to me who I played with. I just wanted to play. My dad eagerly signed me up for t-ball and I remember how excited I was to play. That first year my team won the t-ball championship! What a way to start off my baseball career, eh?  I played all the way up until I was 16. I even tried pitching. That didn’t work out too well for me because I ended up tearing my rotator cuff. I always looked forward to my weekly games and being challenged in the field and when I was up at bat. My dad was my biggest supporter, coach and mentor. My dad and I would practice at batting cages perfecting my swing and often played catch on weekends. My hardball career ended at 16 when the size and strength differential between me and the other boys started to make too big of a difference.

baseball me

 

The one thing that made me “different” from my teammates is that I was a girl. The only girl. In the  league. Yup. Pretty crazy for the 1990 wasn’t it? I’m not sure if other girls weren’t interested in playing or were more comfortable playing with other girls. Maybe they preferred playing softball to hardball. Either way, I was the one girl who to this day my coaches and fellow teammates remember. And remember me being a good player.

What if my dad had said that I threw a ball “like a girl” and didn’t encourage me to play baseball or any sport that I played and continue to love today? What if he didn’t see my potential and the enjoyment that I got from playing organized team sports? What if my coaches, teammates and other parents felt that I was less than them because I was a girl. Luckily, my experience was the opposite. I was welcomed to the baseball diamond and encouraged alongside my teammates. Being a girl didn’t matter, being a good player did.

Being a girl playing with boys was fun and challenging. I played softball at school but loved playing hardball. I still do. Recently, Always celebrated girls and women everywhere with a fabulous new video #LikeAGirl. There are so many stereotypes that society has created that give people a false illusion about what being like a girl is. Watch this video and share!

Disclosure: I am a P&Gmom. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events and opportunities. The opinions on this blog, as always, remain my own.

Comments

  1. kathy downey says:

    encouragement is the key,to me children, boys or girls are the same and I try to encourage anything they take an interest in

    • mscmommylife says:

      I agree too! Encouraging both children the same based on skill and interest is the most important no matter what sex the child is!

  2. Growing up a tomboy I was always involved in random ‘non traditional’ activities so totally identify with this! Encouragement and letting them decide what they want to partake in, is key.

  3. hmrcarlson says:

    Oh my Gosh, good for you for playing with the boys. If you had the skill and the talent, why not?

  4. Anna W says:

    I played baseball most of my life and loved it, this is a great pg campaign!

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