When Parents Turn Scary

No, I am not referring to some of those awkward moments in child-parent relations, such as when you walk sans your bra in at 3:30 A.M. and your curfew was 12 Midnight, or those dismal report cards, or those occasional calls from the teacher complaining of various misdemeanors, or falling asleep during mass. No, there are some siutations more primal and dire than that; moments when even the most willful girl (or boy) feels like giving thanks for the parents they were provided, and not worse. Nor am I going into child abuse or child sexual exploitation examples: these are infamous, disgusting, and numerous other terms insufficient to categorize them.

What I have specifically in mind in the frenzy that some otherwise normal, functioning adults develop when it comes to youth sports. Now I'm used to excesses in fan behavior, being a Tigers and a Saints fan. These hyperparents yell at the officials or umpires, lose their tempers if their child makes a mistake, ridicule other children, and just royally act like asses . Not all parents: most are put together well and see things in some sort of perspective. However, there are some parents who try either to re-live their sports glories in their own offspring or have them achieve what they could not. Some may even see it as a vehicle for social advancement!

It's a mixed blessing of Title IX that little girls are now subject to this assinery as well. Yesterday a mother just lost it when her little Ashley let a softball grounder roll past her while she was blowing a bubble with her gum. Was the child upset? Don't fear -- Momma guaranteed that she would be!

Folks, it's just a game.