Originally Posted by Anonymous
Do they cheer Johnny. Do they clap. Do they scream. Do they high 5 other parents. Do they sit silently. What’s the proper reaction, when your 8 year old lights it up against 6,7 year olds. Also that kid took a 7 year old kids position on the team. My embarrassed reaction would be just to sit silently.

Well you finally pushed my button with this pandering, judging post. Here goes:

My son was born in July He started school right after turning 5. At the time we never had a thought about sports. He was just a kid. You paint a picture that we had some grand plan that would make him a sports super star. Sorry to disappoint but there was no plan. We were simply young parents raising our kid.

Everything our son does we cheer him on, support him and encourage him. No exception when he plays sports. Your view that we should sit silently and be embarrassed is ridiculous. This being said we do not act like the head of Cobra-Kai Dojo and scream inapproriate things. No, we embrace the parent conduct code and cheer for him, his teammates and all the other kids playing. You see the joke is on you and your insecurities, as sports are not central to our goal in raising our son. Sports is just a venue for him to play and learn many life’s lessons. In the end we have no anticipation of him playing sports in college. Instead we hope he majors in engineering or becomes a doctor.

So please stop telling me I should be embarrassed that my son is good lacrosse player and loves lacrosse. The kids he plays with to him and to us are just other kids. He never gives any mind as to who they are, whether they are 6 months olde then him or 6 months younger. He is just a kid playing lacrosse.

I’m closing I ask that you take time to examine your defensive ego as it pertains to you and your son. If you do these things your self worth insecurity will abate and you will learn to enjoy watching your son play for the love of the game whether it be with kids 6 months older then him or younger. If you and your son can not find joy in him playing lacrosse based upon your hold back insecurity you should think about having him take up some other form of recreation.


You are full of it with your 6 months older or 6 months younger. Your son will always be one of the oldest. Yes, He may occasionally play against a few other holdbacks that are older, but for the vast majority of players, He will be one of the oldest and for non holdbacks players it will be by 2 months to 16 months older depending on who he plays against . Sorry, You not your child should be embarrassed playing down like that against other children.

He is a holdback, I am guessing he did a prek or something like that. I assume you didnt think he was ready for school with other children with his birthday, Fine, that is your right, but it doesnt give you some special rights over over children. You want an advantage other children born on same EXACT DAY as your son dont get. They play with their age group.

No ego with most non holdback parents. We see youth sports ruined by the constant select held back kids getting an advantage others dont in YOUTH sports. And it is especially hard when you watch a good player get bumped due to a holdback player who is only better due to being older ( due to being heldback) . Give that player extra time and he would be better than holdback, Of course that is the exact reason everyone loves the holdbacks. Sorry it is wrong.

Grade based has only been here for about 5-6 years at YOUTH level. For last 50 years prior it was always by AGE, So spare me all this talk about insecurity, what you do is plain wrong and wasnt even done until 5-6 years ago with explosion of early recruiting and clubs. Keep telling yourself it is non holdbacks insecurity while you sit on your high horse. Common sense is still common sense. What you do is wrong and you should be embarrassed