“Dear Dr. Kick,
Amen, brothers. I am a longtime kickballer and all-around booster of
adult kickball—in fact, I wrote a book partly inspired by my love
of the game, “Rejuvenile: Kickball, Cartoons, Cupcakes and the
Reinvention of the American Grown-Up.” More here: www.rejuvenile.com.
Long story short: played in a non-WAKA pickup league back in late
‘90s, hooked up with an improbably available hottie, ended up
proposing to her on home plate. Now happily married with three
kickball kids, wrote book about how much adulthood has changed and
how grown ups all over are cultivating love of everything from rock
paper scissors to HR Puff N Stuff…
Anyhow, I went to WAKA championships in Miami a while back and was
aghast at number of players who dribbled little lame bunts to
third… In my day, BUNTS WERE EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN. The acceptance of
silly little rollers only demeans the game and makes for robotic,
predictable play.
So anyway, hallelujah. Go do God’s work…”
Q. I have had some of these experiences, but don’t think I am a bunt addict. How do I know if I am an addict?
A. If you are concerned you might be an addict, you can learn more by reading this article .
The reader should realize, however, that not all of life’s problems rise to the level of addictions. The term “addict” is neither a judgment nor a prison from which you never escape. The truth is that all people experience bunting in their lives. Whether this develops into an addiction or not, a person should not ignore any problematic areas in his or her life.
Q. Are bunting addictions different for women and men?
A. Bunting addictions can take on many behaviors, some of which seem stereotypically unique to men and others to women. As the bunting addicted population grows due to increasing popularity of adult kickball, the differences between male and female bunt addiction are lessening quickly. It is widely accepted that the underlying issues for bunt addiction are the same for both males and females: they weren’t loved by their parents, coaches or teammates. Females tend to report greater shame or embarrassment than males, because of various cultural expressions like “boys will be boys”, but “good girls don’t kick” And, thus far, professional help seems to be less available for female addicts than for male addicts.
Q. How do I prevent my own son or daughter from becoming a bunter too early?
A. Perhaps this question can be better phrased as, “How can I prevent my child from becoming inappropriately socialized in kickball?”
Children are against bunting from the moment of conception. That is, they are genetically determined as a kickers from the moment the sperm and egg combine. From that point on, they will live out their life as kickers and will experience life uniquely from this perspective ) unless their sporting development is injured or arrested . Even young children can learn about bunting, either in a negative or positive way. Understanding how a child develops is important to understanding how to nurture your child’s natural interest in “where bunts come from” while protecting them from age-inappropriate material, speech, or media that can hyper-socialize them too early in their development. To learn more about these issues read: Turning Your Bunter into a Kicker
Q. I think I might have a problem with some of these issues. How do I get help?
A. If something in this article or any others you read on this site alerted you to a potential problem in your life, you can get help. Seeking a friend to talk through your issue or meeting with a trained professional counselor for more thorough assistance could be the bravest and wisest thing you could do. Fortunately, you do not need to take these steps alone.
