Learning It's Okay to Fail

Jordan is in her first year in coach pitch softball. After two years of really fun t-ball, this is a little different. Pitches aren’t always perfect and sometimes you may not hit the ball.

As a kid with a limb difference, Jordan has had to try and try and try on so many things. She does not always get things done the first time so I did not expect her reaction to missing a hitting opportunity during one of her at bats last night.

Here’s the backstory: I’ve been out of town a bunch lately for work and missed her first two games. In each game, she hit the ball each time she was at bat… Until her second at bat last night. At the first game I could attend. I’m probably to blame. Her Dad and I were encouraging her to put in all of her energy as she used her new backhanded swing. So we were cheering and giving her tips. But she missed at every swing. The coach even gave her an extra try. But she didn’t hit the ball. It became her first “walk” of the season. (That’s how our coach-pitch league works, if you don’t hit, you walk.) When she got back around the bases to the dugout, she was really upset. Crying upset.

That’s when I realized, she’s never missed an at bat her entire life in softball… Because before this season, she played t-ball. She’s never “failed” at softball before. I didn’t even expect her reaction. Why? Because she’s a kid who I thought understood what it feels like to not always get things to work. She’s a problem solver. She struggled through swim team last year but never once felt sad if she came in last place.

But it also appears she has her Mom’s type-A tendencies. She wants to hit the ball every time.

So, last night’s game was one of the first times Jordan failed at something she really wanted to accomplish. She cried. She tried again and hit that ball. She was 2 of 3 in her at bats during the game. That’s a pretty darn good statistic.

To be honest, I’m glad she failed a little bit last night. She’s learning even more about how to overcome challenges. I’m proud of her and look ahead for many more moments when Jordan fails a bit and will learn a lot.