Do you attend your daughter's practice?

[_MIA_]

I like that when DD comes out of practice she is always happy. That is all I need....

 

[ChrisSB]

DD is 2nd year 14u. I haven't watched any of her indoor winter practices, but I watch about 50 to 75% of the outdoor ones. It's nice talking to the other parents that are there, and it's a 45 minute drive so there's no point in me going home.

Parents are allowed to watch high school practice, but I never have.

 

[Orange Socks]

Any general thoughts on why high school practice watching is frowned upon? DD isn’t in HS yet but I was surprised to hear that happens frequently. I’m in the camp of that I just enjoy watching her play.

Is that the norm for practices to be closed? Guessing it’s to avoid parent input and obnoxious behavior? Interesting though that travel ball which is played most often at a higher level seems to be less concerned with the practice attendance.

Does anyone watch the football team practice? Drill Team? Band? How about Volleyball?

I am pretty sure not one parent attends any high school program's practices at DD's school. It just seems weird.

 

[newnin]

I recall quite a few spectators at football practice (early 90's). None at basketball, or wrestling. We would get some in the earlier years at baseball, but none for the older kids.

I prefer that the parents stick around at practice, even now at 14u, as long as they are not being disruptive.

 

[HunterMO]

I recall quite a few spectators at football practice (early 90's). None at basketball, or wrestling. We would get some in the earlier years at baseball, but none for the older kids.

I prefer that the parents stick around at practice, even now at 14u, as long as they are not being disruptive.

I wonder if the difference is weather and indoor/outdoor related. For our TB team no one watched our indoor practices. Now that weather is nicer and we’re outside more stick around. And it is somewhat social for the parents. I know I enjoyed talking to the other Dad’s when I wasn’t coaching DD but would hang around practice.

 

[bmakj]

I drive 30-40 minutes to practice, so not enough time to go home. sometimes I will run an errand or two or pickup something from grocery store. occasionally I take some groceries to DS at his dorm/apt about another 20 minutes away. otherwise, for indoor practices I read my tablet or watch some sports on my phone, outdoors I will get out and walk around a bit, talk to other parents.

DD goes back and forth between wanting me to be paying attention to her, and wishing I werent. imagine that, teenage girl flip flopping like that.

 

[_MIA_]

Naps people...naps

 

[AnotherSoftballDad]

I watch way more of them than the average 14U parent.

I'm not a helicopter parent, but I like practice. I cheer for girls when they get dirty and rip big hits.

That said I often take a break on the long practices and go for a jog, get my oil changed, get a bite, do some shopping...

 

[Travis Lassiter]

Some of my best friends are at the softball field. I go there to hang out with them.

This right here! With working from home hanging out with the other parents at the softball field is pretty much my only social time. Sad I know lol.

 

[Lobster Birch]

I have no idea what the "rules" are for watching high school practice, but I avoid it for the most part.

I did have a high school coach become irritated with me last spring though. My DD's school and three other schools all practice at the same set of fields. I run a page on Facebook, The Seattle Softball Page, and I thought I'd go down there on the first day of practice, a nice sunny day and take some photos for the page. I talked to three of the coaches and told them what I was doing. Two were very friendly and supportive, one, a jerk coach was not friendly, but did not object. The fourth coach was too far out on the field and busy already so I didn't have a chance to engage him, but he engaged me later when I started taking pictures of his team. He came over to the fence and was pretty angry. I'd met him before and thought he'd remember me, but apparently not. I reintroduced myself and calmly explained what I was doing. He still objected over privacy issues. I pointed out that we were in a public place. I tried to placate him by telling him I knew most of his players (my DD goes to a private school, but this was her boundary school), many since kindergarten, had coached most of them in Little League and some in select, was friends with their parents and his boss, the principle of the school, but to no avail. I thanked him sincerely for trying to protect the interest of his players and pitched the idea of taking a group picture of all four teams that practice at those fields. He finally left me alone, but was still skeptical of my motives and asked that I send him a link to my page, I guess as some sort of proof.