Well, it is Saturday and most of us with children have been out on the fields, poolside or in the gym watching our kids play one or more sports today. Each event has its own cheering protocol. I hear tennis is a very civilized sport, as no one screams during the matches. Clearly you can’t say the same for AYSO soccer or flag football. I have been a soccer, volleyball and am currently a softball mom. During soccer games some parents see nothing wrong with running along the sidelines yelling and making hand gestures to their children while they are trying to play. Kids don’t listen when you are talking to them directly how can they listen while dribbling a ball down the field? Just so you know I personally tend to ride the fine line between being supportive and going psycho at my children’s games. I would go a little insane during volleyball matches but the gyms were so loud nobody could really hear me, or so I thought. The problem was when Tabitha did beach volleyball it was so quiet she would remind me to keep my mouth closed or it would become rather embarrassing for us both. As a general rule, I now try to cheer quietly because once I get too involved I lose it.
The top 5 signs your “cheering” has gotten out of control:
- No one will sit next to you at the games including your spouse.
- Your child stops mid game to respond to your constant berating to run faster and yells back at you ” I AM RUNNING FAST!”
- Your voice is hoarse at the end of the event.
- You start name calling the opposing teams kids, and cheer when they make mistakes. ” SO SAD, YOU MISSED THE BALL, BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME SUCKER.”
- You are sweating more than the players and feel as if you may have a heart attack.
