A show of hands--kids & parents

[sluggers]

How many times have you had trouble with a player?

How many times have you had trouble with a parent?

Nothing like parents who think that they (the parents) are doing the coach a favor by letting her/him have the honor of coaching their DD.

 

[newsoftballdad]

I am new

to the travel game, but I did coach from 5/6 to 8U rec for the last three years. I also am Babe Ruth Certified as well as Softball Excellence Level 1. What both of those courses suggested was to get the "trouble" parents involved early and it does tend to work. Find a project for them to help them feel involved and take their attention from their DD. Have them gather the balls after hitting drills or hit fungo's to the outfielders.

If the girl is the problem it is a litte harder, in rec we had girls who were there because their parents made them be their. In travel at least we can push a little bit.

 

[alexander58]

Have you ever cut a girl because you didn't want to deal with her parents?

 

[NWITom]

It seems to me the parents are more of the problem!

What about coaches that think their kids are better than the world?

In my rec league they are too worried about themselves vs whats better for the kids. Lots of selfishness. The more I try to put my DD's behind ever other players needs, the more mad i get because of the parents not appreciating fairness.

 

[jimginas]

I often joke that I could be very happy coaching a team from an orphange, becuase I can deal with the kids. Dealing with parents that think their kid is just great and they can't see what everyone else does is most frustrating. They truly see their kids through "Rose Colored Glasses". At this point for me though, I tell them upfront, I'm doing what is best for the team (I have no kids playing.), and MANY parents think their kid should be pitcher or SS, that I really don't care what parents want. If they can't deal with where I need them, find another team. Some giggle and I tell them I'm serious, I won't listen to parents complain. Tell me you are interested in learning a position and working extra to meet that goal - we are gold, just gripe without extra effort.... don't care and go away so you don't ruin our team chemistry.

 

[StacieM]

When I coached 10U - only 1 parent problem.

High school aged girls...no "direct" parent problem (as in parents coming to grumble about coaching), but parents are causing problems by the stuff they say and do at home that the girls bring with them to the field....ranging from players losing confidence at the plate, to players being tired on game day because their dad's "practiced" with them before the game, to dad's setting up tents behind the outfield fence when their dd is in the outfield and staying in their ear all game long, to dads trying to "help" their dd get bigger and stronger during the season with weight lifting or doing other "extreme" workouts 6 days a week in addition to practice/games

Problems with players every now and then, but those are easily dealt with if parents aren't a problem.

 

[Coach-n-Dad]

14U and for the first time I am really having trouble with a player. Thank GOD her parent is no trouble at all (yet)

I have parent problems every season, without exception, and it is almost ALWAYS the parents who think that their DD is the cornerstone of the team.

 

[Winchester]

parents

Our rec league isn't that competitive. You usually have about 3-4 travel girls with a bunch who could care less. We have a draft and it is always the same thing every year. The coaches choose the kids based on the parents. I don't want this kid because his/her dad is a Jxxx Axx. I know that I have taken a kid with less skills/talent because of the parent. I just wished the super parents used some of their energy to actually work with their kids. They might actually get better.

 

[druer]

I often joke that I could be very happy coaching a team from an orphange, becuase I can deal with the kids.

I say that same line a lot. I generally don't have as much problems with the parents that see their kids with rose-colored glasses. I've learned how to handle them because at least we have the common ground between us that we are trying to build their daughters self-esteem and abilities. So at least that is something that a good relationship can be built on.

The ones I actually have the most problems with are the parents that are WAY TO HARD on their daughters. They are the ones that have the mistaken sense of identity that their daughter's performance somehow represents them/their family. They explode if she strikes out, drops a ball, throws a bad pitch, because somehow they believe that everyone else in attendance is thinking "WOW Bob is a real idiot he couldn't even teach his daughter how not to chase that high pitch." These are the much tougher ones to deal with because I'm trying to help their daughter, while they are really internally focused on their own self esteem. So we don't have any common ground to even work from.