FrankF: your post made a lot of sense to me and well stated.
Coach May: That just breaks my heart because my son has experienced some of the same.
With that said, I've found that there are some supportive folks, too. It's difficult sometimes because the negative mean people seem to be louder and are sometimes hard to ignore when they say hurtful things. I think that stuff bothers my husband and myself more than our son.
Funny thing is last year we had a kid on my son's High school team who went high in the pro draft and is so very gifted. This young man is truly a joy to watch on the field. This kid made some plays that were poetry in motion. We actually had a parent come up to us and say,"What's so great about that kid?" I was like,"Um, he's bringing it around 94mph." They were so blind that they really didn't see the difference between 94mph and 76mph. They couldn't understand why all those pro scouts were there gunning the kid. All those parents quit complaining so loud when the team won state and this young man pitched the crucial game for the win. The kid is a real player and my son was honored to play with the kid.
We're friends with the boy's family and they have been through it. They have been through some awful situations and their whole family has been maligned and misunderstood often and even experienced vandalism. But through it all they supported and believed and loved their son. Last summer the kid played Rookie ball and it looks like he's moving forward and doing well. I'm so happy that his dreams are coming true because it gives me hope that my son's dreams can come true, too.
So we've been lucky because there were people before us going through experiences that they could share with us.
Which it brings me back full circle to what HSBBW is about for myself personally. Often I have read posts that have helped our family tremendously throughout the process. I have learned so much from you trailblazers before us. I appreciate and am grateful to the people who take the time to share their experience on this website.
Although I do not know too many of the posters kids personally, I love to read about their accomplishments and success. It makes me smile.