Confrontation At So. Utah High School Game: Kids’ Rudeness Goes Viral

At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, I have to ask, when did kids get so disrespectful?

I was broadcasting a basketball game the other day at a local high school when several kids (I'm guessing between the ages of 10 and 12) decided to stand in the stairway entrance, crowding me and blocking the stairs.

I was live on the air, so I didn't say anything at first, but when we went to commercial break I asked the kids if they would move.

The response I got was a little surprising, at least to me.

The young lady looked at me for a minute, and then said, "Why should we move?"

In the few seconds I had left before going back on the air, I told the girl that they were blocking the stairway and that they were also making it difficult for me to do my job.

They didn't move.

At least not for a few minutes.

And when they did move, they went down into the stands and complained to their mother, who promptly came up to me and started yelling at me while I was live on the radio.

I took my headset off and told her I was not mean to her kids, but I just asked them to move. Since I was live on the air, I put my headset back on and returned to the broadcast.

This did not stop her diatribe. She continued to rant and rave until she figured out that I was ignoring her, then went to the school's principal to complain about my ignoring her.

The astonishing part is that her kids were clearly in the wrong, and instead of parenting her children, she decided to go after a working, responsible adult.

Somewhere along the way, we've lost the real responsibility of parenting.

In an effort to support our kids, we've decided to carry their banner at all costs.

I know anyone reading this is likely not to need these points of advice, but maybe just one parent will read this and reevaluate the way their going about their duties as a parent.

So here goes:

Responsibilities Parents DO NOT Have For Their Children:

Mom, Dad, It's not your job to:

1. Bail your child out of trouble every time he/she does something wrong.
2. Supply your child with the most expensive designer clothes available
3. Provide your child with a cell phone, TV, computer or game system.
4. Drop everything to give your child a ride somewhere
5. Pick up after your child/clean your child's room.
6. Maintain an unlimited supply of treats, chips, sodas, or junk foods

Let your kids lose sometimes. Let them go without. Let them earn their own money. Let them fail occasionally.

Life is full of successes and failures. They have to learn these things sometimes -- better to learn at home so you can comfort/help them.

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