The Over Reactive Parent

Let’s talk about a portion of the population that really gets under my skin. As a teacher and a coach, there is one thing that really gets on my nerves on an almost daily basis: the over reactive parent. Now, this vessel of anger and venom seems to exist in all aspects of my life, considering my chosen profession. But I’m going to focus on the parent that becomes way too involved at sporting events.

You’ve all seen this person: He or she is the one who constantly has to yell at the coach or the official whenever anything happens that doesn’t positively affect his or her child. For example, if said parent’s child loses a sporting event, and the ORP’s child doesn’t play, then the coach must deserve to get screamed at for not allowing ample playing time which could have resulted in a victory because Johnny All-Star would have made a dramatic impact. Surely the coach must have a personal beef with Johnny, and it has nothing to do with John’s inability to perform.

Additionally, you’ll often find this foul-mouthed buffoon screaming at officials from the sideline. “That wasn’t a strike!” “Throw the damn flag!” “Oh, come on, ref. That wasn’t even close to a foul.” These are staples at high school sporting events around the nation. Most often, these words will be spewing from the man with the cut-off shirt, or the woman with the ridiculously large buttons on her chest-her son’s picture prominently displayed on her bosom.

Whichever form this anger management dropout may take, he never follows the rules of appropriate behavior at a sporting event. My problems arise when I try to figure out just why these folks harbor the anger in which they create. Is it a lost childhood they are trying to reclaim? Perhaps it’s a spoiled sporting event from their past. I just don’t know. All I know is that I hate the idiotic tendencies that these people have, and they display nothing but poor judgment in front of their impressionable children.