by Richard Sandoval, for HL and Inland Valley Living

A Warm Southern California Evening  and a Glimpse of What May Lie ahead.

Saturday evening gave us something that doesn’t always come easy when your children grow older, intentional family time.

When our kids were younger, family outings were simple. Disneyland. Knott’s Berry Farm. Weekend adventures built around rides, treats, and souvenirs. Those memories are stored safely in what I like to call our “family vault.”

But when your son is 16, a junior varsity baseball player, your role as a parent evolves into creating exposure to what the future might hold.

They become less about theme parks and more about possibilities..

 A Different Kind of Saturday Night

Earlier in the week, while scrolling Instagram, I came across a video of a baseball coach from the University of San Diego walking around campus handing out tickets to that evening’s game. I thought it was brilliant  grassroots, personal, inviting.

It sparked an idea.

USD is only about 75 miles south of us roughly an hour and fifteen minutes without traffic yet I had only recently stepped on campus for the first time during a National Hispanic Publishers Association conference last November. I remember being struck by the architecture, the setting, and the intentional beauty of the campus.

So Saturday, we made the drive.

It was a warm San Diego evening hovering around 80 degrees the kind of night that reminds you why Southern California baseball feels different.

The San Diego Toreros baseball, a Division I program competing in the West Coast Conference, have built a respected baseball tradition, including conference championship success in recent years. On this night, they faced the Michigan Wolverines baseball in a competitive non-conference matchup.

The home team came up short that night, but for us, the experience was a win.

Exposure Matters

For our son, it was more than just watching a game.

It was an opportunity to:

• See Division I baseball up close.
• Observe the speed, discipline, and professionalism of the college level.
• Walk through a private university campus and imagine possibility.
• Feel what it might be like to compete at that stage.

There’s something powerful about exposure.

Teenagers don’t always say much in the moment. But you can see it in their posture. Their focus. The way they watch warm-ups. The way they study the players’ routines.

Seeds are planted quietly.

Family Time Looks Different Now

As parents, we understand that not every weekend can be a trip to Costa Rica or Venice. Sometimes the most meaningful experiences are two hours down the freeway, sitting in stadium seats, talking between innings.

Family time changes as our children grow. It requires intention. It requires creativity. It requires us to look for new ways to connect.

And sometimes it’s as simple as:

• A baseball game.
• A campus visit.
• A warm evening.
• And the realization that these years move fast.

Anytime you get the opportunity to spend time with your teenage son or daughter take it.

The window narrows quicker than we think.

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS 

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