For
Whom The Yell Tolls
Parents' Bad Behavior on Sidelines Can Affect Their Kids
Kids sometimes
feel as if they spend their whole lives being told to behave. But when it comes
to sporting events, it's often the parents who behave badly.
Some parents
have booed the other team, yelled at their own children, insulted the coach or
even assaulted referees. Kids in the
Bad behavior by
even one parent makes a difference.
"It's just
really distracting, because you're thinking about what the parent is saying
instead of what you should be thinking about," said McLean's Katie Yensen, 13, who plays soccer and swims.
Katie's
16-year-old sister, Alex, agreed. "It affects the way you play and the way
you think about the game . . . even if it's not your parent or the parent of
someone else on your team," said the volleyball player and swimmer.
Most parents
are supportive and helpful at games and afterward, many young athletes say. But
several kids say they have seen upsetting examples of parents going too far --
such as a host team's parents booing and shouting insults at the visiting team.
"They used
to yell at our team, and they'll throw stuff at the field," Cedric
Watkins, 11, said of parents at his
Some kids say
they understand that parents are usually just trying to have their children or
team do better. But often a parent's yelling has the reverse effect, said Emery
Shock, 16, of Burke.
"You can
see them starting to get down," Emery said of teammates whose parents yell
at them. "It's easier to be yelled at by your coach, because they're
trying to teach you something. When parents do it, they just want their kid to
blow everyone away."
Emery plays
high school football and coaches in a
"Because
we, as kids, can't say anything to the parent, it's kind of a situation where
we're helpless," said Alexandra Gurley, a D.C. 12-year-old who plays
basketball, tennis and soccer. "Plus, if the kids did that, the parents
would probably get mad at them. So it's just really hypocritical."
-- Margaret
Webb Pressler
