Can someone please explain to me how we parents can expect our kids to play nice when some of us have not learned to do so? Take the recent case of a Philadelphia man who pulled a gun on his son’s football coach because he was upset over the amount of playing time his son was receiving.
The 40-year-old father was charged with aggravated assault after getting into a fight with the coach. During the altercation the irate father pulled a gun but thankfully there were no injuries. Now mind you, this was a game for 6-and 7-year-olds. At this age isn’t it all about having fun? I know when Tyler played softball during the summer of 2005 his team spent most of practice and a good portion of each game, kicking dirt and throwing their gloves in the air. Not to mention the frequent time outs to go and pee! And that was okay with the parents. For us it was more about socializing. But some of the other teams they played, well a lot of the fathers were a bit harsh. Many times I wanted to tell them to lighten up. When our kids were at bat, whether they hit the ball or not, all the parents cheered for them. And they received treats after each game whether they won or lost (and most times it was the latter).
I don’t know why I’m even surprised that something like this happened since it’s not the first time it has. It’s just so upsetting to think that some parents are so out of control and intent on winning that they would resort to this kind of foolishness. The fact that he had a gun with him to begin with is scary.
What’s just as scary is the results of a study on parental behavior at children’s sports events by the Citizenship Through Sports Alliance. The group rated parents a D for their conduct and involvement at kids’ games. Also, in an Internet poll of 3,000 participants by the Center for Sports Parenting , 85 % of the participants had witnessed parents or coaches becoming verbally abusive during games and 40% had seen physical abuse.
This makes no sense at all. Many want to blame everything from rap music to video games to the violence on TV for the surge in violence by our nation’s youth. Could it be that some kids are looking closer to home for clues on how they should behave– like in their own homes?
Parents, we are our kids ultimate role models and if they see parents behaving badly or parents gone wild, just what message do you think we are sending to them?
See also:
What Can We Do About the Surge in School Killings Part One?
Part Two
More Comments on Violence in the Schools