Another day. Another mom who can't bear to see her widdle snookums hurt by people who don't think he's quite as awesomesauce as she does. Yes, an Arkansas mother is in the process of suing a school district and the coaches who cut her son from the high school basketball team as a freshman.
Teresa Bloodman claims students have the "right" to participate in extracurricular activities. But here's the funny thing. Her son went through three tryouts before he was cut. She didn't have a problem with the first two ... which kept OTHER kids from being able to participate.
It's only since her son was kicked off the squad that Bloodman has had a sudden need to defend every kid's "right" to play. Gee, sounds so sincere, doesn't it? Snort.
Bloodman is right, kids do have rights. They have a right, just like everyone else, to earn a spot on the high school basketball team. And by earn I don't mean use lawyers to get you that spot. I mean get your butt out on the driveway every day after you finish your homework and practice your jumpshot until it's so dark that you can't see your own hands.
I didn't play high school sports. Not because I have a problem with them, but because I am one of the klutziest people on two feet. My high school team was made up of girls who were far more talented than me, and that was just fine with me. I was a member of the Quiz Bowl team and the yearbook committee, and I took karate class for fun. They had their strengths; I had mine. And trust me, my parents made me earn those strengths. They weren't going to sue my way onto the nerd squad (and God knows, I would have gone and hid in a corner if they had).
Like the parents who are currently suing their kid's school for kicking him out of class for cheating, moms like Bloodman seem to think their kid is somehow better than anyone else's kid. And they're letting their kid know that's how they feel. What incentive is that kid going to have to actually work from here on out? He doesn't have to! His mom is fighting his battles for him!
I don't know about you, but if my (klutzy and really better at the arts) kid was a starter on the soccer team, I'd rather it be because she spent every night in our backyard kicking a ball against the shed than because I had to whine and moan and sic a lawyer on the school district. At least she'd be able to hold her head high and say, "Yeah, I really CAN do this."
How do you feel about the "right" to take part in extra-curricular activities?
Image via Steve A Johnson/Flickr