My Father’s a Bigger Idiot Than Your Father…
Did you see this article?
I’m stunned. Simply stunned.
It’s bad enough that it happened. And in Philadelphia, no less. But the kid that the father was threatening the coach over? He was in the 6 and 7 year old league. Not just a child. A young child. It was, in fact, the Pee-Wee League.
I’m more than embarrassed for the kid. I’m scared for him. His father clearly has serious issues.
Wayne Derkotch is the father in question. He was at his son’s football game. He apparently became enraged over what he perceived as a lack of playing time for his child and did what any concerned parent would do, right…? He pulled a gun on the coach. (You can watch the news report here.)
The thing is, there was a time when this would have been so outrageous, so out of place, so out of the realm of decency that we as a society would be collectively screaming for his head. Instead, it has been relegated to "another super dad" story. You know, a dad whose out of control simply because he wants too much for his child. His very young child.
I say no. I say where is our collective outcry against this kind of bullying. Yes, the father is a big fat bully. He is using the threat of force to get what he wants. That fits the definition of bullying to a tee.
It’s strange to me how we, as a country, seem puzzled by the epidemic rise in bullying in our children. As parents, we pretend that we don’t understand how this could happen. Well, I’ll tell you how it could happen… We have too many parents like Mr. Derkotch.
It doesn’t have to be a gun. It can be too much yelling, screaming insults, playing into the idea that winning is your only option.
My good friend was sharing with me last week how her daughter’s soccer team was so excited to have finally scored a goal in a game - only to have the goal taken away after a parent on the other team complained that the child who kicked the goal was not standing in the right place. That child was in tears after the point was taken away. That child was in kindergarten.
I am ambitious, I’ll admit. I like to win. I want to succeed. And yes, I want my children to succeed as well. I try to remember, however, that they are just children.
February 13th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
my dad is a itiot. he just spent 10 hours in the shower singing.