Something all parents of child athletes should read

[pigpen81]

Guys, I read this in a book called "Character Education", a book for pe teachers and thought you would enjoy this article from Hall Lebovitz, sports editor of the Clevelan Plain Dealer.

Cut and paste it and keep it around somewhere as a reminder when your kids are playing youth sports. It could save both of you some heartaches.....and pass it around to "problem parents".

After four unforgettable years my son and I have ended our Little league careers, he as a player, I as a spectator. This is my valedictory, written in the hope that other fathers and, yes, even mothers, may see the light.

Frankly, I thought my behavior at the games was exemplory and adult. But recenlty I decided to interview my son. For years I have been interviewing the Yogi Berras, the Ted Williams, the Jimmy Browns, and the Jack Dempsey's. Why not Neil Lebowitz my favorite Little league catcher?

"Are you enjoying Little league ball?" I asked him.

Yes, dad, a lot."

"Is there anything I could do to help make it more enjoyable?"

"Well, dad, you know a lot about baseball, probably more than most fathers..."

My chest expanded several inches until he said, "But..." This word punctured the baloon completely.

"But," he continued, "I wish you wouldn't talk to me during the game. You keep yelling at me, 'Get up closer,' and 'Don't step away,' and things like that. I try to listen to you and the manager and watch the ball at the same time and I don't feel comfortable. It gets me confused."

"Well, I'm only trying to help."

"I know," he said. "But you asked me, dad, so I'm telling you. If you want to help me improve, I'd like it better if you waited until we got home."

"Is there anything I could say at the game - if I had to say something - that would help you?"

"Well, I like it when my teammates tell me, 'Don't worry, you'll get' em next time, after I do something wrong. I like it when you compliment me and encourage me. I don't like it when you tell me what I'm doing wrong at the game."

So ended our interview. Needless to say I was jarred. But I knew he was right. He was saying "Let me play my own game. You can't play for me." He was reminding me of the truism "Build! Don't belittle," or phrased more commonly, "Boost! Don't knock."

It was no consolation to me to know that I was no different than other fathers. I discussed this matter with George Kell, former major league great who is now broadcasting the Tigers' games. He too, hass a Little league son.

"When my boy takes a third strike it kills me, he confessed. "When he gets a hit I'm reborn. More so than when I experienced those things myself. It's funny how we blow up at our kids mistakes, forgetting that we made them ourselves. You'd think I never took a third strike or dropped a ball."

The ultimate danger of our actions was revealed by George McKinnon, the baseball coach at Cleveland Heights High. "In our community we have a marvelous Little League program," he said. "You'd think we'd eventually get a lot of talent from it for our high school team. But by the time the boys reach us most of them have turned to other interests. And do you know the reason? Their parents made baseball so frustrating that they turned to something in which their was less parental pressure/"

Still, I'm delighted my boy played Little League ball. Sports opens doors to friendships as no other endeavor can. I'm especially glad we had that father-son interview, late as it was. During the final weeks of the season he played his own game. I stopped playing it for him. He was a much better player. Clearly, he had more fun. Surprisingly, so did I.

[Jimmydeicide]

Oh great Im fuked