Our 6-year-old struck out. They walked off the field crying. We wanted to help. We wanted to say it’s okay, they’ll do better next time, we’re proud of them anyway.
We said that. Then we stopped.
What’s actually happening
At 5-7, they cry because the moment feels huge and they don’t have language for it. They’re not analyzing their swing or thinking about the next at-bat. They’re upset that something they wanted to happen didn’t happen.
Validation plus a transition is all they need. “I know you wanted a hit. You tried hard. Come on, let’s go get a snack.” That’s it. They need three minutes to cool down, then they need to move on.
What we don’t do
We don’t give them pep talks in the car. We don’t list all the things they did well. We don’t analyze what went wrong. None of that helps a 6-year-old. They just need the feeling to pass.
If they bring it up later, fine. “Yeah, that was tough. You know what? You’re going to have another at-bat next week. You’ll get better.” But we’re not bringing it up first.
The timing
Some kids bounce back in five minutes. Some take twenty minutes. We let them have their time. We don’t rush them back to normal and we don’t let them stay upset by talking about it.
What they actually remember
They don’t remember the strikeout. They remember how we acted about it. Be calm. Be brief. Be moving forward. That teaches them how to handle disappointment.