Last evening, the youngest daughter had a softball game at a field at a private girls school. When the sun went down, the temperature dropped about twenty degrees and the damp rose up from the ground. I, a big weenie, decided I would watch the game from the warmth of my car in the parking lot, which was right against the field. I had a good view of the players and I saw every hit, bunt, slide, and steal of the 6th grade game.

When we got there, we had to wait about 20 minutes for the high school girls' soccer game to end. These girls were acrobats, spiking the ball around the field on their head, shoes, and shins. they were tough, fast, and aggressive in their game.

After they cleared the field and the younger girls began their ballgame, another set of high school girls arrived, the lacrosse team. They suited up with eye guards and mouthpieces and practiced for an hour: scoop, cradle, nestle, swing, I learned is the mantra of the lacrosse player. They swiveled their sticks and threw the ball to each other in a balletic relay practice.

In between the playing fields, little sisters ran to and fro with softballs, basketballs, and nerf balls, in impromptu games of catch. Parents stood on the sidelines and cheered and whooped and handed out water bottles and band aids.

I'm amazed at my own daughter's athletic abilities. I was a woose then and am now about sports. I don't remember any girls' teams when I was young except a high school basketball team. My daughter and my nieces all own various bats, balls, gloves, cleats, sports bags, and seasons and seasons of game jerseys and caps embroidered with various team names.

The credit to getting my daughter involved with sports all goes to my husband. This year he is coaching again, and instills the girls with playing their best, playing fairly, and just getting up to the plate and trying to hit the ball. Not all of the girls are talented or even experienced with handling a ball and bat. But they all seem comfortable in their team uniform and cheer as loudly as the rest. They are all equally nervous while they are on deck, and some do strike out time after time. But not a one refuses to take her place at the plate and try.

I thought it was a wonderful display of girls at play on the eve of Take Your Daughter to Work Day. I know it's now called Take Your Child to Work Day, but it began as a feminist initiative to expose daughters to career choices.

The girls on the playing field last evening didn't appear that they will need much motivation to be aggressive and seek a career that suits their talents and desires. They all seemed at home in their bodies and at ease with pursuing competition, courting it, and hitting in steady runs to make it home. I hope they all have a chance to hit it out of the ball park and make a home run in their lives and careers.