13 yr old crying after game....(not right!)

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21

You are right you can't fight your son's battles anymore. He is growing up and he is entering that transition period between child and adult and there are bumps along the way. At 13 he is entering the world of the teen and emotions and hormones. Some kids are more sensitive than others to situations (my son and grandson) and they will cry at the drop of a hat.

What you have to do is just get to the bottom which was the team losing the game and what to do next time as there will be a next time. As long as they learn from the first to the next to not repeat the exact same thing it will be okay.

Don't go to the coaches. I am quite sure there was a meeting about the game in the locker room which didn't help your son or many others on the team about the outcome. This is part of the world of sports and what people don't see. People cry out of frustration, happiness, anger and disappointment.

The hug and the cookies were "the bomb" mom. Just put this in your book of something you two experienced together for a future chat when he has kids.

Love to you both.

The other Suzanne

PS Been there with the wins and losses of the football world. Have also seen how ugly parents have gotten at coaches and how the coaches have held it all together when they wanted to deck a parent.

22

It's possible the coaches said something; but they could have said it in a positive way; you may never know. I have coached high school sports for 7 year, 3 seasons a year. Some kids cry because they have heart, some are bc a coach gave them positive feedback and sometimes coaches say the wrong thing too. A couple of things you could consider talking with him about if it happens again: it's a team sport the entire game cannot rest on your sons shoulders if he thinks it does maybe you can talk to him about changing his attitude towards game; it's ok to talk to coaches if you have to but don't be accusatory say to them that you are worried about his behavior and is there anything you can do? The coach may echo your concerns. Finally and a lot of athletes love this: get him a copy of the poem, Don't Quit. It says it all. Good luck to you!

23

I see nothing wrong with how your son reacted.