Little Leaguer benched cause mom wont sell popcorn

[bomelia]

FOXNews.com - Little League Player Benched Because Mother Failed to Work Concession Stand - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

Ok, title is not accurate. But I am involved in LL sports with my boys. And it DOES cost a lot of money. Volunteers offset costs. We don't have a rule like that in out park. But if we did, we would follow it. This woman comes off like a dunce. "She believed she could work another time". Use the phone! Find a substitute! Do what it takes! Stop treating park sports as a day care program!

Only problem I have with this is the little boy who was forced to pay a price for his mom's actions (I would not have done that). Can't get off work? Then don't sign 'em up for activities that you cannot support. Its NOT day care.

Mike

[bomelia]

Oops, it doesn't matter what I would do. www.FYAA.com, the application (agreement) that the parents sign clearly states what is expected, and what will happen if agreed to expectations are not met/fulfilled.

My guess is that this has happened before.

Mike

[HI Cobra]

It was a long time ago when my son was in Little League but I'm sure the
rules haven't changed much. Everyone got a chance to cook and sell hot dogs, whatever in a rotation. It was a good opportunity to meet other parents and
get to know them. We may have been lucky but made a lot of good friends
and had a great time with it. I guess like anything else it is what YOU make
of it. Too bad she missed a great opportunity and her son paid the price.

[tcrist]

Between my "2" boys I think we did the little league thing for around 5 or 6 years. We were never asked or was it in the contract when they signed up that it was mandatory that the parents worked the snack bar. The snack bar was always ran and manned by the officers of the league. Of course that was 20 years ago. I do think it is a good idea for the parents to get more invloved. Like it was said, it is not intended to be baby sitting.

Terry

[Bill Bess]

Gee it sounds to me like Mr. Brouilletts needs to get a life.

I agree that the mother should have attempted to arrange for a replacement for her hot dog duties, but to make the kid pay for this type incident is really childish.
First of all lets not forget that Mom most likely must work to keep her job, so she can pay for the little league, and that primary job responsibilities comes first...OH, I mean the one that pays the bills.

On the other hand, I as many of you have spent countless evenings and week end days doing this kind of stuff even though we didn't always have our own kids playing ball. Big Whoop! Mr. little league leader.

My two cents, Bill

[392cobra]

Seems like a real waste time for the kid to be sitting on the bench.
They should have gotten him pitching dogs in the stands instead.

Seriously,this is one stupid situation.It should never have reached this point.

I played LL and Pony League.The parents paid a fee for the kid to play.It was never considered "baby sitting".
All positions and duties associated with the sport were unpaid and 100% voluntary.
Some parents loved to help and had the time.Others were doing very well to beable to come to a game every once in awhile.I'm sure it tore them up not seeing their kid at every game but jobs & bills came first.If the parent/parents get fired for missing work,it will get pretty tough for the kid & family - forget the LL game.

[trularin]

My kids played Hockey.

[Wes Tausend]

...

I think there is a silver lining here. One would think that all the other impressionable children would have also witnessed the bench warmer. What a great opportunity for adults.

What has happened here is a more valuable lesson than playing ball. American children have learned what happens when a person does not pay their bills.

How much good the observation is to them depends on what actions and attitudes were displayed by the adults around them. If the adults acted as though it were a terrible, sad and unfair burden to bear, then the children will learn to feel that others owe them a happy life unrelated to their own effort; in which case, they will develop an innate need to be bailed out.

If the adults shrug it off, smile and promote the idea that sometimes going without is just a temporary inconvenience and there will be better days for equal effort, then the children will adopt the belief that one has to keep trying... trying in a real world where God helps them that help themselves.

Teach them to fish and they will have fish for a lifetime. What more can we give them?

And hope that someday such a well taught child will be a congressman, er congressperson.


...

[392cobra]

Excellant post and point of view.

I'm afraid it is the expection now instead of the rule it once was.

[tcrist]

I hope that the parent feels like crap that their child got punished for what they did wrong.