Yogi Berra was a baseball legend. He was also just as well-known for the things he said. Many of his wise words could directly be applied to life as a parent.
Here are some of my favorites…
“It ain’t over till it’s over.”
Berra was either referring to never giving up, or trying to put a toddler to bed.
“I usually take a two-hour nap from one to four.”
My kids think something similar, but their two-hour nap is from 1 to 1:15.
Yogi’s thoughts on Little League…
“I think Little League is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.”
“Little League baseball is a very good thing because it keeps the parents off the streets.”
I always loved Yogi’s perspective on math…
“Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.”
“You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”
Similar to my daughter wanting two pieces of toast, me cutting a slice in half, and giving her both pieces.
“It gets late early out here.”
Fellow parents, can you relate to this one? 8:45 pm is the new 11pm.
“If you’re going to cheat, it’s better if you don’t get caught.”
Yogi’s quote about the New England Patriots and Deflategate, is probably not the best advice to give your kids, but wise words nonetheless.
Finally, a few more Yogisms for kids of all ages…
“You can observe a lot by just watching.”
“Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.”
“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.”
You were a smart man, Yogi, RIP.
-Pete