Last month during a Jamboree, I found myself behaving in sorts of an angry soccer mom. Trina got shoved by an opponent girl who must have really wanted that ball because even Trina turned around to give this girl the meanest look her face could ever have conjured up. Then the whistle blew… on our girls. I was so angry I was looking for every opportunity possible to yell at the opposing parents –as they were doing to us. I feel a little ashamed of that day… I was being an incredibly immature parent ready to elbow drop somebody over what was supposed to be a fun game for the girls. I’m telling you though, the competitive shouts started from the other side! I swear!
Just yesterday I received an email from a fellow Pink Panther parent regarding the girls’ behavior during practice. Now, I almost always attend every one of Trina’s practice minus about three out of about twenty when I had to squeeze in some grocery shopping or other errands nearby. Because I was feeling incredibly out of sorts, I sat in the car yesterday crocheting. While I was still there within view, I wasn't sitting on the sidelines like usual. This email was a mass email sent to all Pink Panther parents and while I should have just shrugged it off, I was ready to give this woman a piece of my mind! I don’t really like being confrontational but I was ready to set this woman straight. Pregnancy hormones? I don’t know. But reading this email now, I can totally see I was just looking for someone to release my grumpiness out on.
I just wanted to give all the parents a head’s up that coach has been increasingly more frustrated with the girls’ behavior during practice over the last few weeks. We have talked to Mindy in the past about being too goofy and not following coach’s directions. Today her behavior was a problem again and she will write an apology letter to Coach. I hope I am not overstepping my bounds by sending out this email, but I wasn’t sure if you were aware that this has been an issue for coach over the last few weeks.
Mindy has really enjoyed being on this team. She loves all the girls and coach Steve. I feel lucky that he chooses to coach this great group of girls and I certainly want to give him incentive to coach again next year!
Mindy’s Mom
To which I drafted…
I'm (Trina's Mom) almost always at her practice and I can assure you, while the coach may get frustrated he handles our hyperactive, mouth-running-at-100mph girls accordingly and appropriately. Although there were a few times Trina had to be reminded to be more attentive to Coach’s instructions, I kind of find it unfair that all the girls were grouped in your email as needing some sort of discipline. I'm also pretty positive that Coach Hair understands that these girls are just that, (young) girls, and has his level of expectations set for this age group.
I understand why you must have felt the need to send out a mass email but I am appalled by your assumption that some of us parents may not be taking notice of what takes place beyond our supervision with your self-righteous need to remind "all the parents" to better discipline our children. Perhaps I'm taking more offense to this because of my pregnancy hormones (I'm suffering through the last few weeks of pregnancy now) or it's probably because a line really has been crossed here and I'm just giving you a nudge back over that line. Whatever it may be, I'm sure the coach is more than capable to type out a complaint email and would have done so if he felt it necessary.
Regards,
Trina’s Mom
As stated, my reply is in my Draft folder. I had clicked “send” but there was an error and the email came back landing itself in my Outbox. I decided to fix the error the next day and reading it now, I’m so glad that the error occurred. I can be such a bitch sometimes!
In all I’m so glad we’re pulling Trina out of soccer after Spring season (Ariel and I want her to be more involved in sports with her schoolmates). I can’t imagine Trina going into a select team and me having to do this soccer mom thing on a much more serious level.
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