Two coaches, both dads, reached out with similar stories yesterday about guilt and shame, feeling inadequate and unsure of themselves.

Heavy stuff — especially when you consider both were stressing over coaching 9-year-olds.

Don't get snarky. When you're managing your son and he's 9, there are big deal moments. We've all been there.

One of the dads said he unloaded on his kid during an elimination playoff game because he missed the ball in the outfield and then overthrew his cut, which meant a game his team had been winning was now over and they had lost.

"He doesn't remember it and still loves the game," he wrote in a comment on one of my reels on Instagram. "That was 4 seasons ago and it still eats at me. I'm glad he has forgotten it, but man if I could go back and not let that happen."

"It happens," I wrote back. "We all make mistakes, especially in the heat of the moment. You know what they say, 'It's what we do next that matters.' Sounds like you handled that part well."

The other dad shared a story that just happened this week at little league practice. He said he texted some parents to apologize. Kids weren't getting base running. He got loud. He felt bad about that and about coming down hard on his son at practice.

That night his 9-year-old, asked him, "Do I have to play baseball, Dad?"

He told his son to give him another shot, that he'd make it fun again. Then he laid in bed wondering what he was doing wrong.

He's not doing anything wrong. He's just learning what we all learn eventually: kids feel everything. The pressure we carry as coaches and parents...they carry it too, and it adds to the pressure they're already carrying. It makes moments heavier and the game harder.

His son, one of the best players on the team, also is suddenly terrified of fast pitching. Normal at 9. Pitching is still new to kids that age and scary for a lot of them.

"What do I do say when he jumps out of the box?" he asked.

Normalize it, I said. Let him know it happens sometimes, it's part of the game, it stings, and then it's over. Call time out. Call him over. Tell him you don't care about the hit. You want good swings, good attitude, good effort.

Then remind him why he's out there:"You're out here with your dad and all your buddies because you love baseball. Isn't this fun, being out here, playing this game? Now go have some fun, bud."

That's it. That's the whole job sometimes: showing up and propping them up. Do that and everything else gets easier.