Think It Over Thurs: Ballgame bullies

I played Little League as a kid, and I know firsthand about how some parents can be. Some of them scream at coaches; others scream at the other team. Some even scream at their own children so badly the poor kids cry. My parents were not like this at all, but it still hurt me to see other kids have to endure that kind of meanness from their own parents!

This post about how “your kid sucks” when it comes to sports, however, irritated me. I get the guy’s point, but the way he states it makes me think of teachers who tell you to just let them do their job and pretty much ignore your kid and have no say, until it’s time to reinforce something THEY want your kid to do. That’s one of dozens of reasons why we homeschool, too. I get that some parents can be infuriating—but so can some teachers and coaches. There needs to be some teamwork happening here, not all of this blaming, judgment and negativity. None of it is good for the children involved, for sure.

Are you, have you been, or do you know these super competitive parents who act out during their kids’ games—or did your parents do this to you? How did you react? How did it make you feel? My daughter hasn’t played Little League yet—though she has played t-ball at the rec center—and I wonder how to handle this kind of behavior as a parent rather than a confused teammate…

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia