Feb. 10, 2026

How Sports Teach Kids Resilience and Confidence | Lessons from the Dugout

How Sports Teach Kids Resilience and Confidence | Lessons from the Dugout

What do baseball, parenting, and real life have in common?In this episode of The Running Wine Mom, Samantha Cieslinski sits down with Ken Davidoff, longtime Major League Baseball journalist and educator, and Dr. Harley A. Rotbart, nationally renowned pediatrician, parenting expert, and youth coach, to talk about their new book, 101 Lessons from the Dugout.Together, they explore how lessons from baseball and softball translate into life skills young adults desperately need today — resilience, confidence, patience, empathy, and perspective — especially in a world shaped by social media pressure, comparison, burnout, and constant noise.This conversation is for parents, coaches, educators, and anyone raising kids who feel overwhelmed, behind, or unsure of themselves.What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why youth sports teach failure better than school or society
  • How pressure and comparison impact kids’ mental health
  • What parents get wrong about success — and what matters more
  • How to help kids build confidence without tying worth to performance
  • Why everyday moments matter more than trophies or stats
  • How to teach kids to block out noise, labels, and criticism
  • What empathy, teamwork, and presence really look like in real life
About the GuestsKen Davidoff is a longtime Major League Baseball journalist, former president of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and an adjunct professor of journalism. He has covered professional sports for more than 30 years and now focuses on mentoring young adults through writing and education.Dr. Harley A. Rotbart, also known as “Coach Harley,” is a nationally renowned pediatrician, parenting expert, speaker, and author. He has coached youth sports for decades and has written extensively on parenting, child development, and family life.Resources & Links