Hi there,

The kids and I have been playing baseball outside after supper the last few evenings. Each has their own style of play and their own mini ritual before swinging the bat.

Neva, who is 8 1/2, taps the bat several times on the sidewalk before swinging wildly at the ball. If she hits the ball, the bat goes flying and she races around the make shift bases in the yard, passing anyone who might be ahead of her.

Almost-6-year-old Milo, likely copying his sister, crouches right down to the bang the bat, stands up to get ready, yells, "Wait!" while he wiggles his lose tooth, then assumes the proper batting stance. If he makes contact, he carefully places the bat on the ground before rounding the bases.

And then there's Willa. First she wrings her little 4-year-old hands around the bat to "strangle" it. (Neither Bob nor I can figure out where she got this expression, unless she heard somewhere about "choking" the bat.) Then she squints her eyes to keep them on the ball and swings. Before I've even thrown the ball! However, since she spins a full 360 degree circle, bat still poised, she usually hits the ball on the follow-through.

Happy sweeping!

Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com

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