I became one of "those" parents today. Matt had his first basketball game in the rec league here in town and it was a blow out (in our favor), but when you play a team that is so completely out of your league, it takes all the fun out of it.

1st problem...the league decided to combine 5th-8th grade in one league this year because enrollment was down and the 7th and 8th grade league did not have enough kids to make a league, so they would not have been able to play. We should have been asked if we wanted our kids put together with the younger kids or at least given the option to try and take them somewhere else...now it's way too late.

2nd problem...they have created a special set of rules for this year since they have combined the teams together and you have experienced bigger kids playing with the younger less experienced kids. These new "rules" were not conveyed to the coaches until Friday afternoon, the day before the first game. They'd been practicing based on the normal usual basketball rules and most of those went out the window.

3rd problem...the parents on the other team. One thing I can and will not tolerate is someone disrespecting my child. Matt has his good and bad qualities, but he's out there to play to the best of his abilities and have a good time. He loves the game and wants to be the best he can at it. These stupid idiot parents on the other team had the nerve to actually applaud and make rude comments rather loudly as my son and the other tall 8th grader, Dominick, were taken out of the game to take their turn on the bench. I didn't hear the stuff on Dominick because I was in the hall with Ashley, but I came back in when Matt came out and heard the dumbass comments and I was sitting there like.....Are you freakin' kidding me? I was ready to go over there and smack the ring leader, who I should have expected this from based on previous run ins in the past.

I mean come on people. I understand you don't like it when your kids team is getting their butts handed to them because they are in a league that's been inappropriately matched up, but can't we behave like grown ups? I wasn't smarting off because of how badly they were playing...and they were. It's not sportsman like and it's just not nice. I was actually applauding them when they finally made a basket.

It's no fun to play a game when it's a freakin' cake walk. The boys wanted competition (which they did not get today, however). It just really ticked me off and I should have just gone up and said something without being mean. What kind of message does that send to your kid?

Just ticking me off......so I sent an e-mail to the commissioner of our league. He addressed the issues, best that he could, still not to my satisfaction, but he addressed them non the less.

It's just not been the best of days in general for us. :( Tomorrow should be better.