So you all know the mother personally. Maybe she is a single mother, we don't know. But in no way or form should the kid have had to been benched! When we started the boosters at the school I attended it was just my parents, my wife, and myself. You take the good with the bad! AND MOVE ON!

But who is humiliating the child now? The mother! She is the one making the stink and publicizing it. Kids sit out games ALL THE TIME and nobody pays any attention whatsoever. I seriously doubt the LL president paraded the kid in his uniform around the park and announced he was not allowed to play. My son had a team with 12 members and any given time there were 3 kids in the dugout. Nobody paid any attention and no one was humiliated. She should have just taken her lumps, apologized to the person that had to work her shift, and explained to her kid that while it stunk for him, it was still the rules. I think he would have forgiven her and it would have been over. Now she is crying foul and running to the media and what does that teach her kid?

So you all know the mother personally. Maybe she is a single mother, we don't know. But in no way or form should the kid have had to been benched! When we started the boosters at the school I attended it was just my parents, my wife, and myself. You take the good with the bad! AND MOVE ON!

 

Okay then--give me a better solution. How do you keep parents from shirking their responsibilities? Who takes over when nobody shows up? What if parents just pay their "fines" and the same people get stuck working and miss their own kids' games? Our LL board is all volunteer and they put in tons of time for everyone else's kids. Give me a break--if you want your kid to play, then work your one 2 or 3 hour shift! Otherwise, don't play the sport. It is not like LL is a requirement.

No accountability, plain and simple. It is what it is. For the record, I feel sorry for the kid. I'd have hated to have been the manager of that team and told him that he wasn't playing. Mommy was held accountable, Johnny paid the price.

And just how would you propose to do that?

 

 

They could have told the mother that her child wouldn't be allowed to play in any future games until she worked a shift, but I don't see any sense in making the kid sit the whole time if he was already there. If I was the parent that volunteered to work an extra shift I would have done it with the stipulation that the kid got to play in his ballgame. The one question I have is, how did the kid get to the game? Why didn't the person who brought him work the concession stand so he could play?

Rules may be rules, and they may need to be enforced; but in no way, shape, or form should this have ever been used to humiliate a child. :irked: The mother should have been punished monetarily, or in some other way -- just leave the innocent kid out of it.

 

Not sure this qualifies as "humiliating a child." Most 7 year olds are there for the snacks anyway.

 

But on a serious note, while we don't have all the facts to this story - specifically whether she communicated her absence in advance; whether this was her first absence; whether she'd been previously warned; whether this is a clear-cut, well-established policy within that LL area; etc... - the simple fact is that most parents leave all the volunteer work for their kid's sports to 3 or 4 other parents from the team. They can darn sure be there any time for "Johnny's" game, but can't be there to run concessions, clean up, do fundraisers, other other volunteer work to help make sure organizations like LL can exist.

Okay then--give me a better solution. How do you keep parents from shirking their responsibilities? Who takes over when nobody shows up? What if parents just pay their "fines" and the same people get stuck working and miss their own kids' games? Our LL board is all volunteer and they put in tons of time for everyone else's kids. Give me a break--if you want your kid to play, then work your one 2 or 3 hour shift! Otherwise, don't play the sport. It is not like LL is a requirement.

 

When did working in the concession stand become a Little League requirement? I coached in Little League for 10 years in Ashland, and it never was a requirement.

Look at it this way. Some kid may have gotten to play that usually sits the bench.

Look at it this way. Some kid may have gotten to play that usually sits the bench.

 

 

All kids are supposed to play. As a matter of fact I know this is a Little League rule. If someone were to report this league to Little League headquarters I'm willing to bet that they would be in danger of losing their Little League license.

When did working in the concession stand become a Little League requirement? I coached in Little League for 10 years in Ashland, and it never was a requirement.

 

Only in certain areas! No names though!:ylsuper::ylsuper:

They could have told the mother that her child wouldn't be allowed to play in any future games until she worked a shift, but I don't see any sense in making the kid sit the whole time if he was already there. If I was the parent that volunteered to work an extra shift I would have done it with the stipulation that the kid got to play in his ballgame. The one question I have is, how did the kid get to the game? Why didn't the person who brought him work the concession stand so he could play?

 

Maybe because they were there to watch their own son play. Maybe because they had already worked their fair share of concession stands shifts.

All kids are supposed to play. As a matter of fact I know this is a Little League rule. If someone were to report this league to Little League headquarters I'm willing to bet that they would be in danger of losing their Little League license.

 

Yes, that is definitely the answer. Report it to LL HQ so that the area loses their charter and it impacts a whole bunch of little kids and parents.

Maybe because they were there to watch their own son play. Maybe because they had already worked their fair share of concession stands shifts.

 

 

Could be, but like I stated above Little League rules state that all kids must play at least two innings. I hope somone reports this league. As a matter of fact, I might just forward the story to Little League headquarters myself.

Yes, that is definitely the answer. Report it to LL so that the area loses their charter and it impacts a whole bunch of little kids and parents.

 

 

Well they need to play by the rules. All kids must play.

But who is humiliating the child now? The mother! She is the one making the stink and publicizing it. Kids sit out games ALL THE TIME and nobody pays any attention whatsoever. I seriously doubt the LL president paraded the kid in his uniform around the park and announced he was not allowed to play. My son had a team with 12 members and any given time there were 3 kids in the dugout. Nobody paid any attention and no one was humiliated. She should have just taken her lumps, apologized to the person that had to work her shift, and explained to her kid that while it stunk for him, it was still the rules. I think he would have forgiven her and it would have been over. Now she is crying foul and running to the media and what does that teach her kid?

 

:thumb: Dead on. :thumb: