"Playing ball with no adult around"

"I would argue," says Mike Lanza in his remarkably insightful Playborhood blog, "that pickup ball is both more fun and better for children’s social and intellectual development. It’s also more inclusive, or egalitarian." He goes on to list some of the social tasks facing kids engaged in playing a "pick-up" game. These are his words, not mine, though they feel like they are:

• Decide What to Play: There’s no "schedule" of pickup games - they’re ad hoc by definition. So, children have to decide on the game, and that’s unavoidably a social process.
• Recruit Players: Organized baseball takes a minimum of 18 players. It’s never the case that 18 kids just show up in a neighborhood looking for something to play. Depending on what game is played, two to six kids might be the minimum. In fact, most of the time, kids need to get creative to find enough kids to play to make a real game.
• Decide Where to Play: When and who’s playing can affect where the kids decide to play. "Should we play in _____'s backyard? The street? The nearby school field that has a backstop?" More negotiations are in order here.
• Improvise Rules: Which field the kids decide on and how many kids are playing usually necessitates improvised rules. "What’s a home run?" If each team has only three players in the field, perhaps the foul line should be moved. "How many bases can a runner advance on an overthrow?" "Can runners steal bases?" Kids need to decide on these and other rules each game, depending on circumstances.
• Implement the Rules: "Was that a fair ball?" "Is s/he safe or out?" In pickup games, kids have to work out these issues on their own.

There's more in his wonderful post "Playing ball with no adults around." Followed by some painfully incisive explanations why, "notwithstanding all these great benefits, pickup games have largely vanished from our culture. In fact, most kids have never gotten together with other kids to organize a sports game on their own."

Read it. Think about it. Find a place in your neighborhood where your kids can play without you.

from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith