Dos and Don'ts of sports
Taking your kids to a baseball game: A guide from a single parent
Apr 3, 2018, 6:38 am
Here are the dos and don'ts of taking children to the game. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
I took my daughter to the Astros game recently. Usually during the summer, I like to take the afternoon off and go to day games. First, they are cheaper, and second, it’s just less stressful when there are less people in the ballpark.
We met up with a friend who has two kids, and the two adults to three kids ratio was difficult to manage. Parents with more than two kids are heroes. But an evening game can be fun with all of the excitement especially with the home team being really good now.
Having done the difficult leg work, I’ve come up with a list of dos and don’ts for taking your kids to sporting events:
Dos:
- Do set expectations early about what you will and will not be purchasing at the game. For example: “I will be buying you cotton candy and a Sprite, because it’s Friday night and I’m a cool mom, but I will not be buying a $13 Astros-branded fidget spinner because, while I am cool, I know you will lose it immediately.”
Do limit yourself to two beers. For some reason baseball game beers seem to affect some of us more than regular home beers.
Do purchase cheap seats and then move down and sit in the 100 section. This should be a no-brainer, and I promise you the team does not care.
Do keep your kids engaged by actually talking to them through the game. I like to explain to mine what everything on the scoreboard means and who each of the players are.
Don’ts:
Don't take the train to the game. Many of you won’t have this problem as you probably live far enough away that it’s just impractical. I am a five-minute walk from Wheeler Station, so we often take the train. But when it’s 100 degrees outside with 80 percent humidity this is a poor decision. Also, you’ll be with the night train people when the game is over - less than ideal!!
Don't let your child run up and down the aisles during at bats. I cannot stress this enough. I wrote about this baffling trend a couple of weeks ago on Houston Sports and Stuff and it’s like Astros fans have been trolling me ever since.
Don't let people make you feel like a bad fan for leaving a game early. The second inning of a recent baseball game was approximately 15 hours long. At 9:30 pm it was only the fourth inning of a baseball game that ended with the Astros and Twins not scoring after the fifth. I had an ornery 5-year-old who had spilled two Sprites and been awake for 13 straight hours.
Follow these simple rules, and you’ll have an amazing time at the game and keep yourself generally sane.
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Houston falls short as Soto’s homer, missed opportunities doom Astros
Mar 28, 2025, 10:26 pm
With a chance to make a late splash in his New York Mets debut, Juan Soto came up empty.
After signing the biggest contract in baseball history last offseason, the slugger came to bat with two runners aboard and the Mets down by two in the ninth inning Thursday. But instead of delivering the huge hit New York was looking for, he whiffed on a full-count slider from hard-throwing closer Josh Hader that was way outside the strike zone to send the Mets to a second straight opening day loss in Houston's 3-1 victory.
“He just got me in that situation,” Soto said.
Hader loaded the bases with nobody out, then fanned third-string catcher Hayden Senger in his first major league at-bat. Francisco Lindor’s sacrifice fly made it 3-1, and there were runners on first and third when Hader struck out Soto for his 200th career save.
“We all want to do something in a big spot,” Soto said. “We’re all trying to get the knock and try to bring the runs in and try to help the team either way.”
Soto singled and walked twice against the Astros after signing a record $765 million, 15-year contract as a free agent in December.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was asked if he thought Soto felt extra pressure in the ninth inning because it was his first game with a new team.
“Yeah, of course, as a competitor he always wants to come through,” Mendoza said. “I thought he had some good at-bats today and even on that one he got it 3-0 and then 3-1 and that pitch that he got there (he) just missed it. Pretty good pitch. But he’ll come through.”
Soto, who played for the American League champion New York Yankees last season, joins the Mets as they chase their first World Series title since 1986.
The four-time All-Star was disappointed his first game with the Mets didn't go their way.
“I was expecting to win the game,” he said. “Definitely it’s not how we wanted. ... They’re a really good team over there and they come in and grind. For me it was a good experience. These guys are amazing and we’ve been having a good time since spring training and we’ve just got to bring that all the way.”
The 26-year-old Soto hit .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs last year and won a Silver Slugger Award for a fifth straight season.
Soto is a career .285 hitter with 201 home runs and 592 RBIs in seven major league seasons. He's also played for the Nationals and Padres.
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