The good news is that parents are for the most part back in the bleachers and able to watch and cheer their children.  The bad news is parents are back in the bleachers and able to watch and cheer their children.

It would be all good if that’s all they were doing, watching and cheering, but unfortunately there are many cases where parental behavior crosses the line and becomes a problem.

Many high school coaches have been driven out of their jobs by over the top parents who question their every move and often do so publicly which can be embarrassing to their own children.

I truly believe that most simply want what is best for their sons and daughters and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.  Where the problem usually lies is that they are poor judges of talent when it comes to their own children.  I know many former standout athletes and even more former coaches who, when it came to their kids, had an inflated opinion of their abilities.

I say this from 40-plus years of being on the receiving end of their diatribes.  The reason is simple. They are not thinking with their head but with their heart, which by the way we all do at times.

I’m way past the time when my children played sports in high school and I’ll be the first to admit that I second-guessed their coaches on more than one occasion.  However I always kept it to myself or maybe shared with my wife but never to the coach and even more importantly not with my kids.

I was honest in knowing that neither was going to play past high school and in the end all I really wanted was for them to have the best experience possible.  This applies to 93% of those playing high school sports as only about 7% will play a varsity sport in college and less than 2% will do so on the Division 1 level and/or earn a scholarship.

There are some dramatic differences in high school programs right here in the Shore Conference and I don’t need to point them out to you.  Some compete and win championships on an almost annual basis while others are happy to finish .500.

There are great coaches who always seem to win and those who might be a notch below but love to coach and work with kids.  At the end of the day that’s a pretty good person to have in your corner. More importantly it’s good for your children.

KEEP READING: See how sports around the world have been impacted by the coronavirus

More From Shore Sports Network