Ask Amy: Youth sports commitments spark responses
– Learned a Lesson
Dear Amy: A number of years ago my husband and I decided that rather than flying to California with me and my other daughter for our niece's wedding, our high school daughter should remain home to play in a basketball tournament because she had made "a commitment to the team.”
In retrospect, I would make an opposite decision: The only thing she remembers about the tournament is that it caused her to miss her dear cousin's wedding, and that she doesn't share the memories of that family event.
It helps to step back and ask, "Ten years from now what might we think about this decision?"
– Wiser Mom
Dear Amy: As a youth sports coach, I just wanted to chime in on this issue.
I am a family man and totally understand family obligations.
As a coach, I think people believe we are more hardcore than we are.
I only ask that parents' give advance notice if intending to miss events.
I know that we often have events on holidays and that's definitely because of availability for travel with the Monday off.
I wanted to voice my support that I think youth coaches are more open to dealing with scheduling conflicts than it might appear, we just need advance notice so we can make sure the rest of team has what they need, as well!
– Soccer Coach from the Midwest
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(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
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