What Message Are We Sending?

March 31, 2014 | By Chuck

Sadly, I'm rarely shocked by a news story anymore. From scandals to heinous crimes, I guess I'm so used to the bad news that it doesn't surprise or shock me anymore. So, this week I was blown away when one news story actually did shock me and for a minute left me speechless. After hearing about the story on Sports center I just had to look it up online and read it for myself hoping there was some mistake or misunderstanding. I found the article and it was as it had been reported. A parent of a high school football player filed bullying charges against the head coach of the opposing team because that coach's team beat their child's team 91-0. Yes, this really happened recently in Texas. Before I go any further with this you need to know that the coach of the winning team felt horrible and did everything he could to not score anymore and run the score up. He had his weakest players playing most of the game. He played some in positions that they never play. He did all he could, just short of telling his players not to try or play hard anymore, to avoid what happened. When I coached I never wanted my team destroyed like that and although I wanted to win, I never wanted to beat anyone else like that. There were plenty of times when the team I was coaching did get destroyed. I never filed a bullying charge or complaint. I just encouraged the players to congratulate the winning team and I'd do the same to the winning coach. The thought of a parent going to such idiotic measures to caudle their child who is in high school really and truly did shock me. This even angered me a bit as I thought this is exactly what's wrong with the generation we are raising today. Are we raising children today with the unrealistic expectations that they will never lose or be disappointed in this life? I love my kids and want nothing more than to caudle, provide and protect them but that's not my complete job as their dad. My responsibility as a Christian father is to raise faithful Christian kids who can stand on their own two feet physically, emotionally and spiritually. Our kids need to know that in life sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and that life is full of disappointments. Truth is not everyone gets the job or the promotion or whatever else we compete in life for. I'm still shocked that the loss of a high school football game could bring bullying charges. In no way was that bullying! It was a simple case of a good team beating a weaker team. I want to prepare my children to succeed in life and the best way I can do that is to prepare them for the failures that will come their way in this life. I can't help but wonder what message we are sending. "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."(Proverbs 22:6) Chuck Ball