Life often presents to us teachable moments and we can choose to learn the lesson or not. Last night at a ballgame, there was an opposing coach that acted, ummmm, a little hostile and perhaps extremely way over the top concerning a couple of plays, one of which Kyle was involved in. Evidently he did not agree that Kyle could steal third and advance to home on the play. At this point, we were winning 8-1 and our boys were playing well.
After the coach contested a second play, tempers began to flare, even me-which I know totally surprises you! That was my baby that was forced to go back to 3rd base and witnessed this man acting like he did. But what I also noticed was that our coaches totally did not stoop to his level in front of our boys. I am sure they were hot under the collar, but they hid it well and continued to encourage our boys.
It is SO HARD being a sports parent. Mike handles the role much better than I do at times, but it is hard to remain faithful to your values when you see big people not acting the most appropriate. Mike was involved in the infield pow-wow after the second complaint. He was not there to complain but to help resolve the situation that was intensifying. He was also the one that turned to Kyle and instructed him to get back on 3rd base. That is a good man-because I know him well and I know how competitive Mike can be, but he hid it well for the greater good. He did not want our boys and especially his son to watch him act like a turkey.
On the way home, Kyle and I talked about the situation. I asked Kyle if he would have been embarrassed if his Daddy would have acted like that. He said yes, and then he said "my Daddy would never act that way!" Mike may work long hours and be pretty intense, but somewhere along the way he has made a huge impression on his son.
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