It came to my attention that there is a level of bullying that perhaps has not been addressed. I would consider it assault. It was shameful to the extreme, because of the abuse of power of an adult over a child. I am speaking of parents whose children are in school sports and feel they have the right to verbally abuse and degrade those who have volunteered to coach their children.
There seems to be a pervasive misunderstanding of the purpose of school sports. Sorry you moms and dads who want your child to be the star or on the best team in the school district, especially as you paid for your child to participate, but that is not the purpose.
If you want your child to be a star, hire a professional.
Your child will not remember the number or wins or losses they had in school sports. However, they will certainly remember and carry with them well into their developing years and into adulthood, the lessons they learned of respect to those willing to help them, sportsmanship, team unity and play, enthusiasm for a shared interest, friendships and empathy. This is only possible if they see and hear them modeled, especially by their parents.
I was appalled to learn that my granddaughter and two other student volunteer coaches, were verbally assaulted by a parent during this past weekend's Grade 8 girls volleyball tournament.
This parent was not happy until she had verbally and aggressively shredded them to pieces, reducing them to tears.
This was publicly done. This was not an isolated incident, as a different parent had done something similar earlier in the week. I am also told that this is a regular occurrence throughout our schools.
I am so proud of my granddaughter and the other two girls, for the courage and commitment they example to the team. They did not walk away from the team, which is what most would have done. If they had walked away, the team would have forfeited the privilege of continuing in the tournament. I hope this is the lesson that the younger girls take with them into life and not that it is okay to degrade another person.
Incidentally, parents, if you are stuck on the money you spent, have you considered the girls lost more in wages from time taken off their jobs, than you spent?
G. Holley
Prince George
