Parents

I went to an 8th grade football game the other day and it was very entertaining. The kids were too cute in their oversized pads. Most of them had a good concept of the game but they were all in the learning phase. Most of the boys were in the awkward growing phase and couldn't really control their bodies yet. Some were very talented and stood out among the other kids. One of these athletes had three touchdowns and contributed greatly to his teams 46-6 lead at halftime. It was during halftime that he came over to talk to his dad, looking for praise but what he got was the opposite. I watched his dad tear him down and focus on all the negatives that this 13 year old boy had down. Not once did he say good job but just told him what he shoudl do in the second half better. Although the criticism may have been intended to be constructive, I couldn't help but want to tell the kid good job myself.
I definately don't have kids of my own but if I did I feel like I would have had better things to say to them than "you suck". I feel like parents are half of the reason kids don't want to play sports when they are older. At young ages all kids want is acceptance and encouragement, and lots of times parents don't offer either of these. This game was a reminder of how rediculous parents can be, and I'm sure this is quite common.