My kids (4 and 7)are heavily involved in extracurricular activities. Soccer, baseball, competitive swim, gymnastics, Girl Scouts, you name it, we’ve done it or currently do it.

This year I’m a member of the PTA, I’m coaching 5U and 8U soccer, I’m on the board, specifically running the concession stand at baseball, and I’m a deck parent for swim. I figure if I’m going to be there, I might as well volunteer.

Ya’ll these kids are absolutely terrible. The crying, the whining, the bad sportsmanship. I’ve had to break up a minimum of 5 physical fights on the 5U soccer team, and I weekly have to remind kids they don’t choose their positions, we rotate (including sitting in the bench) in the 8U. Every week I have to talk to the other teams coach about inappropriate name calling and remind them how to shake hands at the end of the game. Win or lose the kids are crying and name calling or celebrating and rubbing it into the other team’s faces, both in baseball and soccer. We have zero parents volunteering for baseball, physically or financially, we practically have to knock on their front doors for them to pay their registration fees.

Today I had a 5 year old literally body slam another 5 year old after the ball was out of bounds, for absolutely no reason, nothing to instigate it.

Yesterday at the 8U game I had a kid on defense (they all play a 5–10 minute MAX rotation on defense each game) and the next thing I know I see him scoring a goal. Apparently his daddy told him to, mind you, this was his 4th goal of the game and we were up 3 to 0 before this, so it absolutely was not a game winning ‘bad coaching decision’ scenario.

And baseball? I’ve worked the stand almost every single game for fall ball. Parents straight up refuse to work the one game we ask them to commit to.

I would be absolutely horrified if my child acted the way these kids act. My kids question it because it’s so obviously out of control. All I can do is tell my kids that we can’t control what other people do, only what we do, and we’re good sports and don’t act like that.

I can’t wait for these seasons to be over, I’m so tired of having to approach parents and other coaches about their kids behavior. It’s uncomfortable for everyone involved.

My kids really want me to continue to coach and be involved, but these kids and their parents are such nightmares to deal with that I don’t know if I can deal with another season. What are these kids going to be like at the 10U level? 12U? I don’t even wanna see.

The only silver lining is it’s an absolute parenting win for me when all I get are compliments on my children from every adult that works with them, although the bar is literally on the ground😂😂