Parents, please stop asking coaches and others to micromanage your kids
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
Vent here and I’m sure I’ll get flamed but teen DS is on a club team with kids of varying ages- other teens and middle schoolers and a few kids who are 9/10.
The coaches started a group text chain through an app to communicate with them so they can share meet up times, changes in schedule, events, prep tips etc. Great. But there are a group of parents who insist on using the chain - and the coaches - to overshare and ask for special treatment for their kids. ‘Larlo is running late for practice, and his babysitter is dropping him off. Can you let me know when he arrives?’ ‘Larla is coming with her sitter, but she will drop her off at the gate. Can someone come pick her up and walk her to the field?’ ‘Larlo isn’t feeling well. He won’t be at practice today. He’s got a little stomach flu, his temp was 99 last night but it spiked up to 100 this morning, I’m going to take him to the doctor at 4 today, blah blah blah’ ‘Larla’s shoes were rubbing yesterday. Can you let me know if she develops a blister during practice?’ ‘Where is the event and what time? (Even though the address is posted) Do you think there will be heavy traffic? Is there parking?’ Oh and the worst is ‘I know the overall event starts at 9am but Larlo is only participating in this one part, so can you let me know how fast the other events are moving, so we can time when we arrive?’ I don’t get it. It is so disrespectful to the coaches who are trying to actually train and work with the other kids. |
Anonymous
| Have you never been on a sports team group chat before? This is what all of them are. It's spawned so many memes. |
Anonymous
| This sounds super annoying on a chat and some of those requests are ridiculous but others are okay, could be worded better. |
Anonymous
| What club team has an age range like that? |
Anonymous
I'm guessing track since DS is on a club track team and there are ages 5-17 overall. |
Anonymous
Like asking if there is parking is fine -- yes they can look online but there may be info about parking not available online and it's good info for everyone to have. Asking if someone will be at gate to direct kids or get them where they need to go is fine for this age. The over share about the illness is annoying but can also be helpful (lets people know an illnesses is circulating, males clear parent is addressing and that kid might recover in time for game for planning purposes). That parent needs to learn to edit and be more succinct. The little request to keep an eye in a blister is micromanaging but I think letting a coach know blisters have been an issue is good (again, annoying in the chat but fine in general). The special requests for coaches to be letting parents know when kids arrive or how fast things are moving are the only ones that cross a line for me. But that's not micromanaging, it's entitlement. So many people like that in the DC area. They will deputize coaches, teachers, neighbors, fellow parents as personal assistants. My strategy with that is ignore, ignore, ignore. Coaches probably can't ignore but a polite "that is not possible" is okay. People like that are annoying whether there's a chat or not. |
Anonymous
| I worry for the future of our nation. |
Anonymous
| Parents don’t want to be parents. Disgusting behavior OP! Find another team. |
Anonymous
Please tell me what team group chat does not include at least 1 of the following:
|
Anonymous
| All team group chats are like this. I just ignore most messages unless it’s something a coach sent or something is needed from me. I assume the coaches ignore them too unless they reach out privately. |
Anonymous
| You sound like a noob, OP. |
Anonymous
I’m guessing indoor climbing. |
Anonymous
|
Leaving the coach out, parents need to be able to ask other parents for occasional help. Just ignore if it bothers you.
Its ridiculous to drag a coach into it though for sure. |
Anonymous
Not OP but are they new? My kid played various team sports when he was younger (he’s 20 now) and there was none of this. |
Anonymous
| Coaches could easily quash this but they don't. Blame them. |