Soccer Tournament
Eli and his team are playing in a soccer tournament. They are having the best time. I love it because they are getting more hours on the field and developing their skills. So far, they have played four games, and they have won three and tied one. Most of the teams that we feared would beat us; we took them down with no trouble.
Eli Stepped Up
Last weekend, our goalie missed the game; he had another commitment. The goalie’s absence threw the boys off their base a little. I was worried that it would affect their performance, and it did initially, but then they pulled together and won three to one. The other team got the one goal because when one of the defenders kicked the ball to the goalie, it accidentally went into the net, resulting in an own goal.
The night before the game, Eli was injured. A few of his teammates had collided with his hand and sprained his finger. We were worried it would affect his ability to play, but he asked us to strap his hand up and told his coach he was hurt but wanted to play. The coach was happy that Eli decided to play because his other teammate who played defense was injured. We needed all the help we could get.
The other team was good. They were blasting goals throughout the game, but Eli’s defense was second to none. He had shown up and assisted in saving the day. Eli played last back; his coach calls that position part of the spine of the team. Think of your spine as a human being, and you can understand the importance. If an opponent can get through the entire team’s defense, Eli is the last man to stop any goal attempt, and he did so flawlessly.
Injuries That Children Can Suffer in Sports
On one of his attempts to stop a goal, Eli did a slide tackle. His foot connected with the ball, and then an opponent tripped on his foot and fell. Eli apologized and asked him if he was ok, he didn’t respond. He got up and was ready to play when his parents started to charge onto the field. The young man saw that and started to cry and limped off the field; he said his stomach and knee were hurting. It was unfortunate, and I felt for him because Eli’s ankle was injured similarly before, so I understood both his pain and his parents’ pain.
Parents With Children in Sports Need to Read the Manual On Conduct
The young man’s parents continued trying to charge onto the field, and the father was swearing loudly. I guess he was trying to get at Eli because most of the swearing was directed at him and was about him. Eli was terrified; he said he wanted to run to us. Now in sports, there will be injuries; it’s just what it is. In Ontario, parents must sign respect in sports waiver documents; I guess those parents have not read theirs yet. The manual clearly states and I quote, “The Respect in Sport Parent Program is a one-hour online module for parents/guardians, reinforcing their role in their child’s activities, encouraging positive sport behaviours, and providing insight into the various roles other individuals play, such as coaches and officials.” I understand feeling for your child, but how would attacking mine have helped the situation?
I did not panic; the referee kicked the parents out of the stadium. That was a great decision. Good riddance! At the end of the game, Eli was still traumatized. He was afraid to go to the washroom; he kept very close to us. We assured him that we would protect him at all costs. I am not one to promote violence, and I was shocked at how the parents handled that situation. They set the “perfect” example for their son. I kept thinking they definitely did not read that manual.
The Responsibility of Having Children in Sports
As parents, we have such responsibility on our shoulders. We have to try to do better for our children. Yes, I can understand feeling your child’s pain, but you could have encouraged him to get up and keep playing if he could or assured him that you know he’s hurt and it will heal. You could have recognized that my son apologized and was genuinely concerned, but their ignorance blinded them to that fact. I know they were already upset that their team was losing, and that slide tackle was the last straw—poor guy.
Five Tips For Parents With Children in Sports
Here are Five Tips For Parents With Children in Sports and cannot keep their cool:
- Stay at home
- Put your kid in a sport that will not likely result in injury
- Think twice about charging at my child
- Read the manual that speaks about bad behaviour
- Think thrice about charging at my child
I am loving this post and what a beautiful family you have! I love that they are all into Soccer and my son loves it too 😉 great tips here and so important to keep the kids active!
Thank you. I am a firm believer in keeping them active especially for the upcoming teenage years.
I was never a sports person myself, so I find this really useful as our eldest is so into sports! I just didn’t understand how to properly help him, and didn’t know that some injuries are fine to still participate in.
What sport does he participate in? Sports are good for our children. You will learn to navigate through the injuries; it is risky to play with injuries. They can lead to more damage; we learned that over the summer. It was not fun.
Sports can be fun but also so competitive in such a toxic way. Important message to share!
It is a thin line between competition and toxicity lolol. We get so involved sometimes we have to reign ourselves in.
Playing sport helps children learn to control their emotions and channel negative feelings in a positive way. BUT it has to be the right kind of sport – something that will give them a positive outlook and most importantly, something that they will truly enjoy doing and have fun.
I agree 100%.
As a mom of 3 who are in different activities along with a
high school boy who plays year round basketball I totally
agree with you. I am a big fan of parent supporting kids
who play sports and supporting their love for the game.
Great post.
Thank you. I love supporting my kids, it’s so much fun.
My son has recently joined a football club. I do worry about him getting injured during the sessions. I’m glad that it’s not open to parents attending having read this.
It’s heartbreaking when they get injured. Parents need to learn to control their emotions.
You must be so proud of your kids getting on so well with their soccer games. Those parents did not act right, they shouldn’t have been shouting and swearing at your son, it’s not like he did it on purpose, accidents happen during sports x
Thank you, I am really proud. Accidents do happen and I can understand a parent feeling their child’s pain but how would yelling at another child help the situation? It’s crazy.
Great article,
Bad parental behaviour off the field promotes bad player behaviour on the field. Such behaviour is always uncalled for and not acceptable.
Players showing respect in sports is something some parents needs to learn.
Yep, yep, yep. I understand being upset with bad calls from the refs or a playing being a little rough but running onto the field, that’s a no.
#1 all day every day… stay home. Don’t come to games and abuse CHILDREN.
Plain and simple.