Parents Clash Over Sideline Seating at Youth Sporting Event
A recent youth sporting event devolved into an uncomfortable situation for one parent, who is seeking advice on how to handle opposing team parents encroaching on their designated seating area and engaging in disruptive behavior. The core issue, according to the concerned parent, is the violation of an unspoken rule that teams and their respective supporters occupy opposite sides of the field.
The situation escalated during the last game when a significant portion of the opposing team’s parents chose to sit behind the writer’s team, citing a desire for sunshine. This seating arrangement,while not always problematic,led to “snarky comments” directed at both players and parents. The tension culminated after the game when one parent from the opposing team reportedly confronted a parent from the writer’s team over a perceived slight, initiating an altercation.
The writer believes these incidents underscore the necessity of the traditional seating arrangement, which aims to prevent such disruptions. They are questioning whether to address the behavior directly or to adhere to a more passive approach dictated by good manners.
Miss Manners,in her response,suggests that traditional good manners have been abandoned in this scenario,as they would imply a level of trust that parents could coexist peacefully at a children’s sporting event. rather, she advises a strategy of “shaming the other parents into pleasantness.” Her recommended approach involves innocently responding to any negative comments with a question like, “Sorry, were you talking about us? Because we think both teams are doing really well, don’t you?” Miss Manners notes that this tactic, while potentially infuriating to the offenders, might serve as a deterrent.
