Really Come On, What Are You Thinking

We have all heard or seen parents live vicariousness through there children in sports or other activities but when does it go to far???  Last night I had the opportunity to sit and watch two little league baseball games of kids that I had coached in the past.  It was a lot of fun to see how much the kids had improved since last season and to see them start to truly understand the game of baseball.

However it was a new experience for me to sit in the stand and listen not to the parents but to the coaches.  We wonder why kids argue with officials?  It simple, kids soak up everything.  I sat and watched one game where kids would strike out and walk/run back to the dugout upset but not complaining... Then I watched another game where the coaches were so negative towards the officials and to other adults that it was seen in the kids.

I watched a coach yell at a 10 year old boy "WHAT ARE YOU DOING" when a kid missed a sign, come on dude these kids are 10-12 not pro's.  You could see the fear of failure in there eyes.  I have never seen negative reinforcement work on children.  Coaches are supposed to set positive examples, after all it is a game.

I heard a quote from a dad last night that made me laugh, "relax have fun its not like you are doing homework". It seems at time that there is so much pressure on the kids to perform at a professional level that there is no grace given to these kids.  Last time I checked even professional made errors.  Baseball is america's favorite past time.  Dont you want your kids to pass on the legacy of baseball to there kids?

Coaches should not be feared but they should be respected.  If the kids understand that you are there for them and truly want them to be successful they will not want to let you down.  Maybe next time you go to yell "WHAT ARE YOU DOING" maybe you should ask yourself that question.  Respect is not given it is earned.

With all that said the game last night was a lot of fun and it was neat to see the kids win but come on coaches lets not forget that you are there for the kids not for yourself.