If only we parents were as successful as we demand our children be, a dad recently remarked to us. At first glance, that sentiment seems reasonable, even admirable. Why wouldn’t we want our sons and daughters to excel, even surpass, our accomplishments?
Some parents step out of bounds
It’s not so much the sentiment as it is the motivation behind it. That same dad remarked about the embarrassing scene that some parents make at their youngster’s soccer matches. Their children are involved in healthy activity and robust competition. The parents, on the other hand, are engaged in coaching and cajoling from the bleachers – screaming at the officials, berating their own sons or daughters for letting the opponent steal the ball. The poor sportsmanship that some parents display is childish and shameful. What’s even worse is that some red-faced, loose-lipped parents are totally unaware of their behavior because they are so obsessed with winning. If only they could trade places with their kid. Wait that’s exactly what they’re doing!
We read recently of a baseball game involving 7-year-olds in Lakewood, Colorado, that got out of hand. The 13-year-old umpire said violence broke out after he issued a warning about a man’s profane language. He said, “It was kind of weird. I shouldn’t have to tell a grown man how to act around little kids.”
Winning is all the rage