Since we enrolled our little boy in the Ateneo Football Center (AFC) training program, my hubby and I have gotten used to spending our Saturday and Sunday mornings (early at that!) in the Ateneo football field. Like other parents, we watch and cheer as our little boys (and girls) learn to play football. It's been almost six months since we started dragging our butts to Ateneo every weekend and we've gotten familiar with the people we effectively spend our weekend mornings with.
Last Sunday, while we were watching our son train, my husband calmly concluded that he's seen it all. Here's why.
During the last AFC Football Festival, my son got teamed with this kid (the kid) who plays really good football. Prior to the Festival, My hubby and I observed that this kid, while he was really good at playing football, also had an attitude problem. During training, when his teammates don't pass the ball, he would yell, "Pass it to me!" Sometimes the kid would outrightly defy their coach and say no to whatever the coach asked him to do. Hubby and I just dismissed him as a brat... That is, until we saw his Mom...
My son's team reached the championship match for the last Football Festival. During the said game, I was standing (yes, standing! The game was exciting, ok?) beside the goal together with another mom from my son's football team and we cheered our lungs out for our sons' team. Even if our sons eventually lost the championship game (which was decided based on penalty kicks), we were damned proud of our boys!
It was under these circumstances that I first "encountered" the kid's Mom. She was standing at the opposite side of the goal with a friend of her's. While the game was going on, she would yell "J*****N, go after the ball!!! Kung hindi, wag ka na lang maglaro!" This she bellowed while she had her hands on her hips (yes, that menacing stance...) When her son followed her orders, she would proudly tell her friend that her methods work ("Konting sindak lang yan." with matching eyebrow movement). During waterbreaks, when most moms would wipe the sweat off their sons' backs, she would be barking orders at her young son, telling him what to do when the game resumes. I just labeled her as a "hardcore" football mom, and I thought I saw the worst of it during the Football Festival. Boy, was I wrong.
Last Sunday, during waterbreak, hubby and I watched in shock as she dragged (tugged, or whatever you call it) her crying six-year old son off the field. A few minutes later, we saw her approach the AFC table, talk to the AFC staff and hand in her receipt. Her reason? We don't know. We can only guess. But whatever her reason was, it's definitely not worth humiliating her little boy like that in public.
Last Sunday, while we were watching our son train, my husband calmly concluded that he's seen it all. Here's why.
During the last AFC Football Festival, my son got teamed with this kid (the kid) who plays really good football. Prior to the Festival, My hubby and I observed that this kid, while he was really good at playing football, also had an attitude problem. During training, when his teammates don't pass the ball, he would yell, "Pass it to me!" Sometimes the kid would outrightly defy their coach and say no to whatever the coach asked him to do. Hubby and I just dismissed him as a brat... That is, until we saw his Mom...
My son's team reached the championship match for the last Football Festival. During the said game, I was standing (yes, standing! The game was exciting, ok?) beside the goal together with another mom from my son's football team and we cheered our lungs out for our sons' team. Even if our sons eventually lost the championship game (which was decided based on penalty kicks), we were damned proud of our boys!
It was under these circumstances that I first "encountered" the kid's Mom. She was standing at the opposite side of the goal with a friend of her's. While the game was going on, she would yell "J*****N, go after the ball!!! Kung hindi, wag ka na lang maglaro!" This she bellowed while she had her hands on her hips (yes, that menacing stance...) When her son followed her orders, she would proudly tell her friend that her methods work ("Konting sindak lang yan." with matching eyebrow movement). During waterbreaks, when most moms would wipe the sweat off their sons' backs, she would be barking orders at her young son, telling him what to do when the game resumes. I just labeled her as a "hardcore" football mom, and I thought I saw the worst of it during the Football Festival. Boy, was I wrong.
Last Sunday, during waterbreak, hubby and I watched in shock as she dragged (tugged, or whatever you call it) her crying six-year old son off the field. A few minutes later, we saw her approach the AFC table, talk to the AFC staff and hand in her receipt. Her reason? We don't know. We can only guess. But whatever her reason was, it's definitely not worth humiliating her little boy like that in public.
