Highlander...you address some very valid points.
My oldest son is 29 while my youngest is 18 and he is winding down his senior year of high school.
One thing both of my son's can attest too - is that my hubby and myself have allowed them to accept their roles in participating in high school athletics...it has been up to them to pursue and achieve ....
We've had some successes and some not so successful experiences in football, basketball, and baseball. I would assume that everyone has similar stories as all things that will happen in high school are not just about our kid, because there are hundreds of kids coming up through the system.
Sometimes, I watch parents who have teens entering the high school arena and for some when everything doesn't fall into place as thev'e planned...
like their son not getting to play quarterback...
or if their daughter doesn't make the varsity squad in basketball...
or they are feeling like their child is being overlooked...
Then, some parents whine/complain/attend school board meetings/ etc...or address playing time with the coach...and talk behind the coach to other parents.
We, parents have a responsible role in this that...we can become as much of the problem and not solve a thing. I know of a parent who talked to other coaches about a specific coach only for that conversaton to makes it way around town a couple of years back. It grew into something it never was...as it took on a life of its own.
It hurt this player in more ways than one...and it has made this boy quite bitter about his high school experiences.
It can make things harder for the kids in the long run...
(and of course, I'm not talking about something that would truly hurt your child...we are after all their moms and dads...)