Last week, single mom Jodie Cooper had to work on a night when she had been scheduled to volunteer at the Little League concession stand. And because Ms. Cooper stupidly and mistakenly thought earning an income for her family was more important than volunteering in the concession stand, her son was benched for two games and not allowed to play – not even as a pinch hitter.
Why has the youngster been benched because his mom had to work? Well, that’s simple, Roy Turner, oops, Dave Brouillette is a prick. After all, the nights to volunteer were scheduled way back in March, so mommy has only herself to blame. She even signed a contract. Brouillette says, "Unfortunately, yeah, we are taking it out on the kid in the big scheme of things, but it is very difficult to punish a parent."
I don’t know, but if you ask me, I think Ms. Cooper is being punished, and it doesn’t look like it was that difficult. But maybe, instead of punishing the kid, he could have sentenced her to two days in the concession stand instead.
But what do I know: after all, I think it’s hard to say someone volunteers for something, such as working in the concession stand, when the league requires it. – John Royal
Any parent who willingly submits their children to the organized abuse of Little League or similar "kiddie" activities is irresponsible. Teach them to bike or kayak or hike or something they can do for the rest of their lives without turning into one of the pathetic broken-down "coaches" who haunt the playing fields.
Posted at: May 21, 2008 1:34 PM