Little League Parents Have a Disease

United States
June 12, 2008 12:44pm CST
Little league is for the kids, it is not for the parents (you have already had your chance). Parents tend to take all of the fun out of the game. This is because they are trying to live trough their kids. What do I mean by live through your kids? I mean that you were not good enough to play the game, so you end up pushing, and pushing, your kid to be the player you never were. Most of the time this approach does not work. Instead of getting what you want, you get a kid that does not want to play anymore. Then you get mad at them for not wanting to play, when you are the one to blame. If this has happened to you, the DISEASE (Little League) got you and you spread it to your own kid. You should be ashamed.
1 person likes this
5 responses
• United States
12 Jun 08
I hear you. I used to coach high school freshman baseball. I had to get out of it because the parents were so bad. They would literally sit there and heckle a kid playing in front of their kid. They would harass me during the game. They would pay thousands of dollars to these private services to inflate their kids and I would wonder why there kids were still fundamentally bad. Its tough out there now.
1 person likes this
• United States
17 Jun 08
Parents do realize the lesson's they are teaching their kids by doing those things. Most important they try to pay for their kids to be successful and never think to tell the kid to work harder if he/she is not good enough (something they may use later in life).
20 Jun 08
Yes i know plenty of parents like that it drives me crazy when i help little league teams out every once in a while i alwyas see this one parent just giving it to the kid cuz he missed a pop up or grounder. Im like he know ones perfect then the kid starts crying and then the parent gets even madder and says theres no crying in baseball. I think that parents need to just relax and reliaze its just a game let them have fun.
• United States
20 Jun 08
Parents like this kill their kids and don't even know what they are doing. If a kid is crying on the field he/she is not have fun (no brainer). But, what does to that parent keep doing, pushing, until the kid never whats to play again and the parents are so stupid they do not even realize it is their fault. SAD!!!
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
12 Jun 08
I have seen these parents fussing at their kids and the kids squirmingand wanting to just go home. why do parents dothat to their kids? let them have fun and do not try to make major league players out of little kids. they really should be' ashamed of themselves fortheway they act.
• United States
17 Jun 08
Parents for the most part do not even realize they are doing this to their kids and that is the sad part. The reason they do not know is because they are putting their wants before their own kids wants.
@thorgrym (675)
• United States
13 Jun 08
It isn't just Little League, either. As a parent, it is natural to want your kid to have things that you never had. However, the kids need to want it first. If the kid doesn't want to play, no amount of encouragement or 'pushing' is going to make them want to - or make them any good if they do play. It is important for parents to realize when to back off and let the kids have fun playing a game.
• United States
17 Jun 08
You are right, it is not just Little League, it is all youth sports. Most of the time the parent is the reason why the kid does not want to play anymore and the pushing is the reason why. The sad part is if you were able to ask these parents what they are doing or if they realize what they are doing to their kids. They would look at you and say "what are you talking about". Parent forget sports are nothing more than games kids enjoy playing and try to make it a career choice for their kid at the age of eight.
@aville44 (125)
• United States
24 Aug 08
im a high school athlete, and i cannot agree with you more. ive saw alot of my friends quit sports because their parents are so crazy over it. as a parent you should support your kid, but NEVER force them to play. let them play what they want to, and support them 100%, no matter how good they are. Also always encourage them to work hard, but dont force them. Like... if they play baseball... supply them with plenty of baseballs and a batting tee to practice with at home. Make it easy and fun for them to get better