Now let me just give you what I think is wise advice around moms and their kids playing basketball. Heck, this might even be applicable to all sports. Here we go:
- Cheer for the team, not your kid - I laid down this golden rule with my mom very clearly when I was in high school. I told her, "You can cheer as loud as you want, just don't say my name." Harsh? Maybe. But what self-respecting teenager wants to hear the voice of their mother coming from the stands? It certainly wasn't me.
- You make yourself a target - This really applies to road games. I never wanted my mom to be identified as the mother of the best player on the opposing team when we played on the road. I was taking enough abuse from the fans being the best opposing player on the court and receiving their heckles. Last thing I wanted was to have my mom stand out and in essence say, "Hey, I'm the woman that brought that child into the world...yup, that's my son who's putting a triple double on your teams' ass." Moms don't need to be the point of any opposing gym's wrath.
- Same applies to fathers - I'm one now, with #3 on the way in July. Don't think you're not untouchable with these same words of advice...you are.
- Dress correct - Don't show up to games wearing a T-shirt with your child's face, number, name or any sort of likeness to the game. That's like wearing a bullseye at road games.
- Stay an arm's length away - I'll leave you with a perfect example of what you should not do. Don't act like LeBron's mom, or else your son might just say some choice words for you. Look for the lady with the white T-shirt that Kevin Garnett has to hold back on the baseline.
If you missed what LeBron said to his mom it went something like this, "Sit your ass down".
2 comments:
I had a laugh over that article too this morning. Good for LeBron! and good advice. I wanna see you in 10 years to see if you're taking it.
Is this my wife Lisa? If so, kudos for keeping me honest.
If not, oh well. But yes, I will be taking my own advice. I'll probably have to temper back my comments for the refs so my kids don't get too embarrassed.
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