by exD1dad » Fri Mar 14, 2014 9:19 pm
Thank you Dirtlover for a refreshing realistic answer & I tip my cap to your DD
tgjb33 I was just giving you my opinion of your statements, & I stand by them.
You are correct Cal has roughly 25,000+ undergrad & 10,000 grad students or over 36K total which is still larger than 50% of American Towns & I wasn't rounding up, I'll admit I was going on a statement from another...my bad.
You should be proud of your kids for their college acceptances, I sincerely hope they become happy well adjusted contributing members of society.
In 1850 LA's population was like 1600. Most of the Ivy League was founded prior to 1800 & Pueblo is not racist, it's historically factual. Google that Mr Dictionary.com. Furthermore my DD's proud of her Colombian/Mexican heritage, speaks fluent Castilian Spanish, but is also a member of the National Society of Children of the American Revolution("a service group that trains good citizens, develops leaders and promotes love of the United States of America and its heritage among young people." ), that makes her both the past & the future of our great Country. Now, the academic standards of many NE schools which you choose to call elitist, are just that, if you can't deal with that, go see a therapist or some kind of shrink to help you deal with it. Have & have nots are the way of the world brother & it's getting worse everyday. So next time you point your finger at someone, don't forget you got 3 more pointing back at you.
Your $$$ statement refers directly to my point of unrealistic parents chasing a brass ring they will never get. Or, as Dirtlover so accurately said "pipe dream". Look at the numbers & do the math, if it costs $3000 to $15,000 a year for travel ball for 6 years which includes outside lessons etc (Depending on the amount of travel, if you take the whole family & how many PGF tourneys your team chases to get to Nat's) add them all up & then compare them to a Cal State Education is $25,000 per year & considered by many in the country as a valuable education ...comparatively speaking. (My oldest DD goes to one & she loves it, it's perfect for her). Don't forget to mix in the softball equation of schools like Cal State Fullerton that has what, 26 on the roster & only 12 full scholarships (so don't tell me about "full ride" BS) Don't forget playing softball is a job at the majors & one of the biggest academic majors of players in the SEC is "Exercise Science" (what do they do for a career when softball is over?), then look at the number of players who play travel ball versus the number who move on to play college ball. When you separate the wheat from the shaft you got more than shattered dreams & a lack of savings for old age. The reason these folks you talk about don't have college savings is because they blew it all on Travel ball.
Just like all caring parents want better for their children than they had, I am no different. I'm not telling anybody how to raise their kids but from the guy who invented the pet rock to the entire cottage industry of people paying $25 per month to check their FICO scores 10 times a day so they can brag to people about a number that only counts for credit cards, & buying a house or car. Yes, there's a sucker born every minute.
I don't push my kid, never have, she's pretty good, loves the game & has a different softball resume than most but that's another thread.
"It's not giving up if you discover you've been chasing the wrong destiny" -Morley LA street artist who posted this on Melrose Avenue in Jan '14
)as a SoCal Dad I gotta tell you tbjd33 IMHO most SoCal travel parents are unrealistic in their expectations of their DD's. I've said it before, look at the numbers, approx 150,000+ seniors playing HS softball & only 4200ish slots available (& most of those were gone 2 years prior with 100% gone for the majors & mid majors). 
