Baseball traditions

I think it’s so important to have traditions with your children.  When we got married, my husband and I blended our family of three kids.  Looking back, some of the traditions that the children remember most fondly center around baseball and the Texas Rangers. Every spring, my husband would take the kids out of class for opening day.   Now they don’t remember the extra work they had to make up, but they do remember how special they felt when they left school with their Dad/Stepdad and the excitement of Opening Day at the Ballpark in Arlington!

We took them to several games each season, they ran the bases, and attended camera day.  (My daughter still has an autograph from Will Clark on her bulletin board.  Now that was a while back!) We bought season tickets for the Frisco RoughRiders, the AA team for the Rangers.  The whole family has enjoyed watching the games and seeing Ian Kinsler, CJ Wilson, and Elvis Andrus among others develop then go up to the big leagues.  In many ways they parallel our kids.  They have grown up, are successful, and are going on to their own “big league.”

This past weekend we were lucky enough to buy tickets for Saturday night at the World Series.  We could buy four tickets so my husband, myself, and our two sons who live in Denton and Austin had great plans.

Our youngest, 24-year-old Suzannah, an Army Lieutenant and Blackhawk pilot stationed in Honolulu, HI planned to watch on TV.  In early January she will be deployed to Afghanistan -- a chapter in our family that I am not anxious to begin.  We talked about how great it would be if she could go with us. Little did I know that it was going to happen!  As a surprise, my husband gave up his ticket and arranged for Suzannah to fly in Friday night, attend the game Saturday then fly back to Hawaii on Sunday.  It was an awesome day and one that we will always remember, even if the Rangers did lose.

Even though all three of our children have left home, our shared interests continue to be treasured by our family.  Try to develop your own special traditions!

Tracy Morgan is the director of women's services at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Plano and a Mom/Stepmom to three kids.