Parents gone bad

I have always been a staunch proponent of parents actively participating in getting their kids into sports. Having been one since my son was a shade over 2 years old when I started to teach him the basic skills in judo, I knew that someday, he might not be using the athletic skills anymore, but the lessons that he would learn would help make him a better person.

As the years passed, I met many more parents, who share the same passion. Many of them never even took up the sport in their younger days, but this did not stop them from being at the practice venue each day to provide not only financial support, but moral support as well.

While there are many positive things that we can enumerate that sports will teach our children, there are also some pitfalls that some parents encounter in the course of being actively involved.

There have been two recent incidents of parents losing their cool in football tournaments that should not be allowed to happen again.

First was the case of a parent punching the referee after a game, which according to my sources, shocked many of the kids who were there.

Maybe the parent was so disappointed with the way the calls were made during the game, but why resort to such violence.

What lesson did he teach his son and the others present? If you can’t control your temper, it is best that you keep away from watching your kids engage in contact sports.

Also recently, there was the case of a mother, who allegedly attacked the player of an opposing team.

I still have to get a full report of what happened, but I hope that the parent would be banned from attending future events if she can’t control her temper.

It is our nature as parents to protect our children. But, we must also bear in mind that if we allow them to take part in contact sports, there would be times when they would get hurt.

Other parents must also help to calm down those who lose their cool so that the true spirit of sports will not be lost.

There are ways to complain or raise a point where you don’t have to go to the extent of hurting people.

What if it was your child who was attacked by somebody’s parent? How would you react?

Getting into sports teaches discipline, hard work, teamwork, and much more. It also develops stamina, agility, speed, and many other physical traits of the athlete.

There are also lessons that are taught to us parents like dedication, patience, and compassion.

Let us enjoy sports and not ruin it by losing our cool when we watch our kids play.

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The 10th National Inter-club Football Tournament kicked off last Sunday in simple ceremonies at the University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus.

Aside from the parade of athletes and the ceremonies that go with the opening rites, there were also several prizes given away to the players, who took part in the fun game before the opening match.

Football shirts, gear and even small appliances were given away to the delight not only of the players, but also of the parents, who were there to give their all out support.

I’d like to congratulate my friends from the Cebu Amateur Football Club for a job well done.

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MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to my high school buddy Dominic Chan Ylaya, who turned a year older yesterday. The same goes to my fellow Cebu Squad member Jaybee Cometa and our fellow UP High products like Tinago Councilman Joel Garganera, baseball afficionado Jesse Bernad and Santander’s James Arnold Abines.

The same greetings also go to Elro de los Reyes, who was in red as early as last Sunday when I bumped into him at the Mactan Island Golf Club, and also to April GN Abatayo and Lynn Moro.

More power to all of you!