Another sports parent vent

[bananiem]

Why do parents think they can sign a kid up for a sport and then tell the coach if "Johnny" doesn't feel like doing the drills the coaches shouldn't make him? What is wrong with these people? The other kids are doing the drills. Why shouldn't their kid? Especially in something like hockey where everybody plays. If their kid isn't in shape or know the drills, the whole line /team is hurt.
And an 11 year old boy who is taller than his mother should carry his own bag. Especially since you can get him the kind that has wheels and he can drag it behind him. Our 4' 5" 75 pound 10 year old boy can carry and wheel his bag. So can your 5'8" 150 pound boy. Oh, but that's right. He "won't" carry it. Grow a backbone! Are you going to carry it into the locker room when he's a varsity player in high school? Oh, right. He won't make varsity because he doesn't do the drills and hasn't learned the work ethic of teamwork.
It's OK if kids sweat. It's ok to push and challenge them. The best teacher I ever had was my high school music director who gave us incredibly hard music and expected us to learn it. And we did. There was no choice. Once the music was in our folder we were playing it in a concert. Challenge a kid and give them some self esteem when they do it.

 

[MAKmom]

I agree.

I also like it when kids do not want to play the sport & the parents make them join the team anyway. We had a team full of Girls this year for softball that did not want to be there.
Thanks.... our team was horrible. The girls did not pay attention. Some would just sit down in the field.

My DD & a few others were so into it.

 

[mickman1962]

My pet peeve are the parents who try and leave as soon as the baseball game is finished. I don't pick up after my own kids, I'll be damned if I am going to pick up after yours. Nobody goes anywhere till the dugout is clean. And oh yeah, the same parents carry the kids bag.

 

[MAKmom]

My pet peeve are the parents who try and leave as soon as the baseball game is finished. I don't pick up after my own kids, I'll be damned if I am going to pick up after yours. Nobody goes anywhere till the dugout is clean. And oh yeah, the same parents carry the kids bag.

I always yell after the game. Throw your bottles away.

But I do not see the problem with carring your kids bag? I may not understand what you are saying

 

[golfgal]

When I was coaching I always told the parents that kids are guaranteed PRACTICE time and were not guaranteed game time and that the amount of playing in a game would have a direct reflection on the amount of effort put forth in practice. It usually worked. I never really had problems with parents and playing time issues.

 

[amy4bruce]

My DD6 is on a t-ball team, which I assistant coach. She's always after me to carry her glove, which I refuse to do. She wanted to join the team, then she has to do what the team members do.

Of course, this is an instructional team, which has members that don't know where second base is, and where center fielders think that they should run after every ball, even those hit into the backstop.

 

[bananiem]

But I do not see the problem with carring your kids bag? I my not understand what you are saying

Hockey bags are heavy. If the kid is bigger than the mom he ought to carry it himself. If you ask one mom in particular she says "Oh, he won't carry it." So she struggles with it. If my kid used me like a slave he wouldn't be playing hockey anymore.

 

[koopa]

Politics of select sports, in this case soccer.

daughter tries out for the 9 year old select team for the first time after many years in the recreational league. She attends three days of tryouts and we tell her to do her best, listen and work hard. Coach ends up rostering his own rec team that he coached last year (some very good players, other not too deserving).

Daughter has found another team with a pretty experienced coach, so it might work out for the better.

 

[golfgal]

Politics of select sports, in this case soccer.

daughter tries out for the 9 year old select team for the first time after many years in the recreational league. She attends three days of tryouts and we tell her to do her best, listen and work hard. Coach ends up rostering his own rec team that he coached last year (some very good players, other not too deserving).

Daughter has found another team with a pretty experienced coach, so it might work out for the better.

Gotta love coaches who's identity is formed by how well his 9 year old play soccer. My main requirement for our kids "making" a soccer team is that they practice on the field by our house so they can ride their bikes.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

Politics of select sports, in this case soccer.

Don't even get me started on this one! My DD is in select soccer and it can be a major pain at times! Great sport, but the politics is unreal!

 

[MAKmom]

Hockey bags are heavy. If the kid is bigger than the mom he ought to carry it himself. If you ask one mom in particular she says "Oh, he won't carry it." So she struggles with it. If my kid used me like a slave he wouldn't be playing hockey anymore.

OMG NO WAY! I have a Tiny DD9.

 

[pixiemomma]

We only had 5 kids at alot of our soccer games this year. All the teams we played had at least 10, some as many as 14. We never had a full team. Parents would just show up when they wanted to. (can't really blame he kids, they were all 6 and 7) I felt terrible for our coach who is such a great person and of course a volunteer.


Bananiem, hockey bags are heavy but most of the kids on my sons team, ages 6-8, insist on hauling their own cargo. (Although I will not let my son carry his goalie equipment yet. That bag has to be 20lbs. he'd probably drop it on the concrete and break a skate blade.)

 

[bananiem]

I thought these parents would get a clue when they saw all the younger kids on the team carrying their bags. Nope, they don't make him carry it. He's one of the ones that doesn't have to do drills if he doesn't feel like it.

 

[cardaway]

I surprised more coaches don't just bail on the team midway through the season after parents turn into holes and the kids who don't want to be there turn into slackers.

I'll never be the coach for anything but a select team for just that reason. At that point you know the kids are into it and the parents, at least in my experience, are more respectful.

 

[krcit]

I was just venting to DH about something like this. My 11 yo dd plays softball-she loves it and is actually a pretty good pitcher. The team she was put on this year stinks and I don't mean they stink at playing, I mean they hardly ever show up for games/practices. Her manager is great and I feel bad for him that he is saddled with girls who don't really wnat to play. My poor dd and about 3 other girls on the team, show up for every game and they have actually had to forfeit 2 games b/c they didn't have enough girls to play At 10 and 11 years old, these kids are old enough to understand making a commitment and being a team player. My dd can't miss a softball game b/c she has a birthday party or doesn't "feel like" going but 1/2 the team doesn't show up and then my dd can't play. It's starting to affect how she feels about the game-who wants to play with a bunch of kids who don't want to be there??

 

[MELISAZACK]

Hockey my favorite topic....Not only the bag issue and my ds8 doesn't always carry his and has tried but struggles badly so we do carry it most of the time.
but he does try and that is the point there - one day his arms will be strong enough to make it all the way from car to locker room... BUT why do parents sign kids up for Tier I travel hockey teams (even at young ages) the child makes the team and then all year all the parent does is COMPLIAN about how far we travel and the cost!!! HELLO>>>what part of travel didn't you get???
Every year that amazes me on that topic...and then the Ice time issue during games from the parents - my kid didn't get as much time this games as Johnny!! and like another poster said and it is right in our contract that the PARENT signed - you are not guarennteed equal ice time during games!
and since Johnny did make more practices than you and your child what did you think would happen.??
and every year we get these parents on the team and some a repeats about 7 of our boys have been together for 3 years now..you think those parents would really understand the idea behind things????

 

[shortbun]

Parenting is hard. Perfection is unattainable. My kid does double sports almost every season. He's a good athlete and never complains. Sometimes he needs a break. I see that he gets it. It doesn't happen very often. Please worry about what YOU are doing and NOT what I am doing. My kid rubs my feet at the end of the day. If I want to carry his bag, I will. OK?