Angry Soccer Dad, Lighten Up
Last week I was walking back to the car with one of my daughters after a soccer game and I could hear this voice comng from a bit off like a couple of car spaces away. It was a father just berating his, what seemed, 12 year old daughter about the game she just had. It was so embarrassing just to walk by their car as I felt like saying something, but really, it’s 2014 and he could shoot me. Besides, do people really ever change?
As I listened and watched this father angrily gesture at his daughter, I wondered if he had any inkling of the damage that he was doing. His tone was impatient and abusive, as if he couldn’t understand why she was unable to do what he wanted her to on the field.
I wonder if somehow he thought his frustration would somehow motivate his daughter to do better. And from what I could tell, and I’m not a soccer expert, it didn’t even sound like he knew what he was talking about!
The way that he was interacting with his daughter that was more of the issue. He was just so demeaning; it was emotionally abusing his daughter. Was he really motivating her?
He may have felt like he was doing the right thing but I’m not sure he knew what kind of damage he was really doing to this what kid; and this is what I see – imagine what goes on behind closed doors or on the way home in the car. Will she grow up happy kid – not sure about that but I’m sure she’ll remember episodes like this for the rest of her life. His goal may be for his girl to grow up happy, healthy and perhaps a love for a sport but unfortunately he was going about this completely wrong.
This girl may get so fed up with daddy dearest’s strong words of “encouragement” that she’s going to begin to hate both soccer and him.
They grow up fast and we’ll all attest to that. Make the time special with your kids whether it’s on the way to a soccer game/practice and heading out for an ice cream. You only get one shot at this and you don’t want your kid to have nothing to do with you so early on in life – save that for when she’s in high school!
Or, do people really ever change?
