Dear Mrs. (Slightly) Sophisticated
Dear Mrs. Slightly Sophisticated,
I love watching my son play football, but some parents around me yell at the referees like they are auditioning for a reality show. How can I tell them to chill out without becoming the next viral video?
Sincerely, Ref-Rescue Ranger
Dear Ref-Rescue Ranger,
The shortest path to stopping that in its tracks is by simply bringing a black-and-white striped shirt for them to wear since they apparently know everything. But this will also lead to you not having friends.
That being said, children learn by example from you and your real friends. Call it a counterattack, if you will, starting with a “Thanks Ref!” shout-out after a call. Be positive in all your actions and words during the games. That also includes the possibility of face-to-face interactions with rude parents. Tell them, with a smile, that they are looking for new referees for the games. Let them know that since they know so much about the sport and rules, they should apply. An even more passive-aggressive move is to ask if they have a rule book you can borrow. But be aware—this might lead to the same before-mentioned loss of friends.
More than likely, the offenders are also parents. Sometimes, coaches and even athletic directors have to step in to educate parents on how to behave during games. In most cases, your best bet is to simply give the perpetrators your best side eye while exercising self-control and letting the coaches do their thing.
In many small towns, high school football games are the pinnacle of social interactions. They are where you see your friends, wear your cutest clothes, and apparently lose all your manners. Do you know what else is a similar social interaction in small towns? Going to church. Perhaps we need to rediscover the rules of each destination and discuss how they parallel. Would you yell at someone else’s child at church? Scream about how they did not nail the song in the children’s choir? I pray you would not. You also do not double park, use offensive language, or throw food at church.
These may seem like obvious rules and regulations, but we all occasionally need to be reminded how to act. Children, money, and sports all make people act differently than they may otherwise. Throw all three together, and you have a high school football game! Remember that people are always watching your actions, especially your children. Always take the high road, but the passive-aggressive route is a treat, especially to the slightly sophisticated.
