Little League Player Benched Because Mother Failed to Work Concession Stand

[cooperstown]

That is so true. Lose by 15 runs, no biggie. But forget to bring the snacks and you are the spawn of satan.

 

:laugh: Now that's funny right there! :lol: (and true).

[All Tell]

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.

 

When I was a teenager (about 900 years ago) I umpired tee ball at my church. Believe it or not we started having problems with a few parents watching the games giving umpires grief (in tee ball for Heaven's sake). After asking nicely for them to stop, then asking not so nicely we instituted a rule that if a parent became obnoxious their child could be removed from the game. It was annouced and it was given to the players in writing to take home to their parents. It was used once because once the parents found out we were serious they behaved. I was at the game when the child was taken out of the game. It was painful to see that kid's reaction BUT just like in this case the blame falls squarely on the parent for putting their child in that position.

[Birdsfan]

I guess you're entitled to that opinion. I've helped run Little League and volunteered in many organizations. I know how frustrating it can be when a small number of people do all the work for the enjoyment of many others. Sometimes you have to make rules you would otherwise prefer not to make in order to overcome other people's selfishness. Neither of us truly know the whole story behind this situation, but I will assume the man running the league is a good person who cares about kids. Do you know otherwise? So even in a worst case scenario in which he may have overreacted - and I don't think he did - it doesn't make him a monster and the "league" shouldn't be ashamed.

You made an over-the-top statement, belittling those who felt it was wrong to punish the child. So I made a response in kind. But honestly, the league and the mother are equally culpable here.

[Birdsfan]

:lol::lol: Sorry, but that statement is so over-the-top that's it's downright funny.

Sorry, but you could not be any more wrong if you tried your hardest! :eek::lol:

 

My very general statement was coming from experience. Perhaps it's not something you would understand; but there can be no doubt that I know of what I speak. And it was anything but funny.

[ladiesbballcoach]

I have no problem with putting the onus on the mother that her falling was the result of the child not being allowed to play.

 

Any good mom would say, "I am so sorry, son. It is totally my fault and it is because I was not being responsible. And son this is a great lesson for you. You are not responsible in life and bad things happen. I am sorry."

 

Only in this country do we turn the fault of the kid not being able to play away from the offending party onto the organization that has to enforce the rules.

[MBWC41]

I suppose rules are rules but I can't agree with making the kid sit the bench over this.

 

The article doesn't give enough detail into the life of the kid's family to make a fair judgment on the situation.

 

The article never mentioned the dad. Maybe this is a single mother trying to support her family (possibly more than one kid). If it came down to working a concession stand for free, or making sure my family had food on the table, I know what I'd do.

 

On the other hand, maybe the mom is just a bad mother. Maybe she just didn't want to work the concession stand. If that's the case, is that really the kids fault ?

 

No matter what the reason, the kid really had nothing to do with his mother not doing her part. He shouldn't be punished for that.

[MBWC41]

I have no problem with putting the onus on the mother that her falling was the result of the child not being allowed to play.

 

Any good mom would say, "I am so sorry, son. It is totally my fault and it is because I was not being responsible. And son this is a great lesson for you. You are not responsible in life and bad things happen. I am sorry."

 

Only in this country do we turn the fault of the kid not being able to play away from the offending party onto the organization that has to enforce the rules.

 

I agree with this. Thats what any good mother would do.

 

That being said, I've been around a lot of little league baseball and other youth sports and not everyone has a good mother and father.

 

In fact, nearly every team I've been apart of has one or two kids on the team that have horrible parents. Parents that really could care less about their kids.

 

Should we punish a 7 year old kid for having bad parents ?

[ladiesbballcoach]

I agree with this. Thats what any good mother would do.

 

That being said, I've been around a lot of little league baseball and other youth sports and not everyone has a good mother and father.

 

In fact, nearly every team I've been apart of has one or two kids on the team that have horrible parents. Parents that really could care less about their kids.

 

Should we punish a 7 year old kid for having bad parents ?

 

What punishment could you have given the parent that would not have ended up punishing the kid?

 

And the juvenile court system is FILLED with kids being punished for having bad parents. We had a thread on here last week where finally a parent is punished for a kid doing bad things and the people lost their minds because of it.

[HHSDad]

68 posts about a 7 year old missing a Little League game in Boston!

[ladiesbballcoach]

68 posts about a 7 year old missing a Little League game in Boston!

 

BOSTON!!! I hate talking about New York or Boston baseball. Sure this will be the only baseball coverage on ESPN.

[MBWC41]

What punishment could you have given the parent that would not have ended up punishing the kid?

 

And the juvenile court system is FILLED with kids being punished for having bad parents. We had a thread on here last week where finally a parent is punished for a kid doing bad things and the people lost their minds because of it.

 

You don't punish the parent. You can't punish the parent. You surely don't punish a 7 year old kid over it though.

 

If the mother was a good parent and working late was truly the reason that she couldn't work the concession stand then I'm sure she wouldn't have minded to work an extra shift in the next couple of ball games.

 

This kind of stuff happens all the time at multiple levels of youth sports. You find a way to make it work, but you don't punish the kids for something that is out of their hands.

[Birdsfan]

68 posts about a 7 year old missing a Little League game in Boston!

Just think if it had been New York!

[Beechwoodfan]

I have no problem with putting the onus on the mother that her falling was the result of the child not being allowed to play.

 

Any good mom would say, "I am so sorry, son. It is totally my fault and it is because I was not being responsible. And son this is a great lesson for you. You are not responsible in life and bad things happen. I am sorry."

 

Only in this country do we turn the fault of the kid not being able to play away from the offending party onto the organization that has to enforce the rules.

 

 

 

I agree. I also agree with those that said it likely was not terribly traumatic for a 7 year old boy.

 

When my boys were seven and played ball they were far more interested in spitting sunflower seeds, rolling in the dirt, and yes, what drinks and snacks were being brought that day. One of the coaches had a big job just trying to get the boys to pay attention.

 

This has been blown way out of proportion. The mom handled the situation the same way she handled her concession stand responsibility....badly.

[cooperstown]

Sorry, but you could not be any more wrong if you tried your hardest! :eek::lol:

 

My very general statement was coming from experience. Perhaps it's not something you would understand; but there can be no doubt that I know of what I speak. And it was anything but funny.

 

I have two teenagers that were at one time 7 years old. I guess that makes me reasonably qualified to offer an opinion. Trust me, I feel pretty safe in saying that, as long as they didn't withhold the kid's Snackwells and Juice Cooler after the game, that he got over the "devastation" of not playing and "having the eyes of the whole world beating down on him." But I certainly respect your right to feel otherwise.

[MBWC41]

I've worked the concession stand at a few of the ball games my little brother played in this year for this very reason.

 

A kids mom and dad simply didn't show up. It's usually the same kid that never has a way to or from the games and practices. I never wanted to work because the kid had horrible parents, but I did because it was the right thing to do. As I sat there and handed out hot dogs and pop, I never once though: "Ya know, this kid isn't my problem, he's not my responsibility. They should make him set the bench or kick him off the team." I never thought anything like that. I always felt bad for the kid and thought about all the times my mom and dad did this kind of stuff when I was younger and was thankful that I had good parents.