8.
I have been watching my daughters play sports since theywere four, and have been shocked at how some parents in thecrowd behave.
At soccer games, when my girls were very young, parentswould be screaming at their children to get their heads into thegame, to charge, to“get”an opposing player, or to“kill it.”Iunderstand parents want to encourage their children and theirteam—but at some point it becomes too much.
My daughter Grace is a high school and AAU (Associationof American Universities) basketball player and a very good oneat that. During a recent game, a parent sitting near me wasshouting loudly to her daughter, standing up, expressingdispleasure about the way her team was playing and, duringhalftime, speaking loudly about her personal life. After having herin my ear for more than half of the game, I was so put off that Ihad to move.
Admittedly, I am the quiet parent at games. I clap for theschoolgirls when they make wonderful plays. For the most part,however, I remain silent. Shouting out makes them nervous.
I asked Grace to weigh in on this, and she tells me:“Someparents become extremely emotionally invested in sports games,which can become a problem for the players. The worst thing iswhen people point out that‘crazy parent,’and they donˈt knowthatˈs your parent.”
I am all for parentspectators(观众) cheering on theirchildren and the rest of the team. But I hope you can cheer yourchildren on in a positive way. Shouting things like,“Whereˈsyour head?”“Goafter her!”is not, in my view, the way to cheer
on high school students or younger children.
If you have nothing positive to say, hold your tongue. If youfind yourself struggling to keep it together, get some fresh airduring halftime.