Its the 4th of July weekend, a time to celebrate, barbecue, and watch some fireworks.

And it if your pre-teens or teenagers are typical, theyll be hanging out with their buds, at nearby beaches, malls, and recreation centers.

But some, several afternoons or evenings per week, and certainly on weekends, will be practicing for and playing all star games in soccer, softball, and baseball.

Theyre the lucky ones, your kid is thinking right now, because she wasnt selected.

Yes, she attended every soccer practice, played well in all of the matches, and was one of the most popular girls on the team.

But that week, when the phone was supposed to ring; and the all star coach was supposed to say, Congratulations: wed like you to play on the team, that call, the most important one of her summer, wasnt made.

Shes not old enough to really care about boys, and shes doing fine in every other area of her life, BUT SHE WANTED THIS!

And some of her best friends, though they go to different schools, those girls made it.

Theyre playing, and shes quietly, painfully, sobbing inside.

What can you do?

Actually, you can do something. You can make some phone calls, first to your teams coach to see if he or she recommended her for post-season play.

And yes, from that point you can even call the all star manager and ask if she can be an alternate, in case another girl drops out, gets sick, or is injured.

Take heart from what that baseball great, and AFLAC spokesman (to be distinguished from the spokes-duck) Yogi Berra said: It aint over till its over.

This applies to all star team selections and to most things in life.

So, its worth a try to still get her chosen, and your baby will know youre pitching for her and shell always remember that, fondly.

But if it doesnt work, what can you do?

Explain the facts of life. Every team in the league, by right, gets to have one and maybe more kids represent it on the all-start team. These players could be second-rate, but they must be there, for political reasons.

Also, nearly every coachs kid will be selected, again as a matter of protocol.

So, that leaves very few open, competitive slots.

But next year, kiddo, make sure you out-work, out-play, and generally out-do everybody.

Then, theyll have to choose you!