When Good Parents Are Bad Sports
Is it Scottsdale or does it happen everywhere? Great fathers. Doting, kind mothers, turn into lunatics when their sons and daughters take the floor at a sporting event.
Parents reliving what they wish their lives had been is becoming an epidemic.
Children take heart, I'm here with several tips for managing your unruly parent:
- Acknowledge your parent's feelings. Let them know that while you don't approve of their bad behavior, you understand how frustrating it is that their childhood dreams didn't turn out like they wanted.
- Keep a bag of healthy snacks with you at all times. A hungry parent is often an angry parent. Plus, peeling pistachios or dipping carrots in ranch dressing might just keep their mind off every move you, the umpire or the coaches make.
- Remind your parent that they will probably become frustrated again during games. Visualize together,ways they could behave differently the next time.
- Offer your parent several choices. Parents like choices. It makes them feel like they're in control. Example: Either they only scream at the 12- year- old volunteer referee 5 times or they can choose to sit in the time- out chair.
- Perplexed about how long a time-out should be? A good rule of thumb is one minute per year of age. Most parents are at least old enough to get you through half time at an average sporting event.
When all else fails children, take heart. This too shall pass.
Audra Krell 
Audra…I love this post and your sense of humor too!
I coached the Horizon high school girls division 1 Lacrosse team for for six years, I’ve seen ugly. I too have to confess I’ve been ugly to some degree, more for protecting my girls from unfair, political treatment, if there is an excuse at all. While I love to win, the main thrust of my message was for the girls to have fun, to give 100% and be gratified by that process, measuring winning by never quitting and measuring it across a lifetime.
Lovin the sarcasm!
Thanks for stopping by Floyd! You sounds like a fighter, someone strong who stands up for the win, by never quitting, like you said. Admirable traits to be sure. My boys play sports at Desert Mountain, have grown up in Little League, etc. It seems to get worse every year.
Audra
This sure made me laugh! What a great take on parents behaving at sports meets. A sports magazine would for sure publish this, Audra! I say you submit it somewhere. Or Reader’s Digest!!!!!
And maybe a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers with those carrots?! 🙂
Thanks so much for popping over to my Lance painted toenail / Kelly blue wig post the other day. It was great to see you again and you reminded me what a fun and nice person you are, so….. I just put up a sidebar button in your honor. It’ll move down for 20 buttons, then be archived forever on my Friends page.
And I’m loving the new look and feel of your blog. Very organized! Great job.
whoooooo-hooooo.
xoxo
What an encourager you are Jannie Funster! Thank you for the idea to publish this in a magazine. I think I will pitch it to some parenting mags or sports mag like you said. And I will definitely add the wine/cheese/crackers. Thank you so much for the entire post really, and especially for the friend side-bar button. I appreciate you and your kind friendship!
Audra
A new comment from “Jannie Funster” was received on the post “When Good Parents Are Bad Sports” of the blog “KRELLFISH”.
Comment:
This sure made me laugh! What a great take on parents behaving at sports meets. A sports magazine would for sure publish this, Audra! I say you submit it somewhere. Or Reader's Digest!!!!!And maybe a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers with those carrots?! :)Thanks so much for popping over to my Lance painted toenail / Kelly blue wig post the other day. It was great to see you again and you reminded me what a fun and nice person you are, so….. I just put up a sidebar button in your honor. It'll move down for 20 buttons, then be archived forever on my Friends page.And I'm loving the new look and feel of your blog. Very organized! Great job.whoooooo-hooooo.xoxo
Commenter name: Jannie Funster
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Enjoy!
Hi Audra…I wanted to let you know again that I love this post. I will be featuring you this Wed. Jan. 28 on Blog Hopping Day on A Woman’s Voice. 🙂
Thank you Dolores! What does blog hopping day mean? You post links to others blogs? Thank you in advance!
Great new look!
Thanks Ginger. It's only half done, I cannot get the blue banner to go away. : )