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6 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • March 2018 PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR Chris Jones Quincy, Hayden & Olive's dad BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom MEDIA & ADVERTISING DIRECTORS Julie Brosnan, twins Chris & Finn's mom Megan Walsh, Mia, Noelle, and Adelaide's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom SOCIAL MEDIA Brenda Sapanghila Archer, Maddox & Oliver's mom CALENDAR & COOL THINGS TO DO ELETTER Leigha Pecher Jake and Luke's mom EDUCATION ELETTER & EVENTS Debra Caffrey Aidan's mom INTERN Haley J Harkin parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540-429-3572 EMAIL leighanne@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & SOCIAL MEDIA E-MAIL webmaster@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540-429-3572 E-MAIL fredparenteditor@gmail.com SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's standards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information con- tained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are sub- ject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and conditions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2018 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. WRITTEN BY CHRIS JONES LIKE facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent SIGN UP www.FredParent.net TWEET facebook.com/ FredericksburgParent PIN www.pinterest.com/ fredparent FOLLOW @fredparentmagazine I loved playing baseball as a kid. Although when I started playing rec ball, I learned quickly that I wasn't very good. During practice, coach would send me into the outfield and blast fly balls my way. Sometimes I would snag them, other times the ball would drop and blow right past me. As you can imagine, I didn't see much playing time at first—coming off bench in the last innings. When I did play, coach threw me in the actionless right field. While it was discour- aging, one midseason game changed everything. We had an away game and I expected to get the usual late innings and low batting slot. I was surprised when I was told to scurry out into left field in the third inning. The time was uneventful until a husky, right-handed batter stood behind the plate. My coach yelled for the outfielders to shift to the right. I don't recall which pitch the batter hit, but the ball blasted off from his bat like cannon fire into my direction. In the background, I could hear the coaches and parents cheering for me to catch the baseball. I took a few steps forward and then raised my glove high into the air. "Pow!" I had it! That was the first ball I had ever caught in a game. I got a lot of praise when I got back to the bench. That one play ignited a fire within me. I went from late-inning sub to earning my way into the starting lineup. My coach kept me in left field where I was productive, and I became a solid leadoff batter, too. It's amazing how one event can change our confidence. Whenever I face adversity, I reflect on this story. This lesson stuck with me as a parent, too. My kids are no better at life than I was at baseball, so I stay observant to see where in life they seem to excel. My 10-year-old loves science and math, so he chose weekend STEM classes. My 5-year-old loves soccer and martial arts, so he's active in those. My 2-year-old loves music and dancing, so we dance at home. My hope is that I can provide them with as many opportunities as they desire to bloom in the right soil—the soil where they can be most productive. Pop Flies and Changed Lives letter to the readers