Accept the unexpected help

The Bear didn't have a scheduled game on Monday, so the team opted to have practice yesterday. Since the Hubs was working late, the Princess and I took the Bear to practice.

The kids had a late day at school yesterday. They got out at 4pm. Practice started at 5pm. And we typically eat at 5:30pm. So what to do? The kids and I ate a super-early dinner before practice. Their charter school is about 10 miles from our house, so we didn't even bother driving home. I packed a picnic dinner for us before leaving to get them. I picked them up and we drove directly to the new park. We sat under one of the gazebos and ate roast beef sandwiches, strawberries & blueberries, carrots, and tortilla chips. The kids got to play a little before we headed to practice, which was at a nearby school.

We have a coach who is super laid back. I think I've mentioned that before. He's laid back and a bit unorganized. And he's only got one other Dad who is the assistant coach. He'll grab another Dad to watch the dug-out or whatever. The Hubs has been recruited at least twice to help out. But what's funny? Is there's a Mom who has asked the coach if he needed help a couple of times. And he's never taken her up on the help. And you know what? She apparently starting playing softball when she was 11 and continued through high school. So she knows the fundamentals of the game and how to show the kids different techniques. But the coach has not let her jump in.

I noted that this Mom was fuming as she watched practice yesterday. She actually walked up to the coach when she and her son arrived and asked if he needed any help. He said no. So she came up into the bleachers. But she was FUMING as she watched the coach try to get a handle on the boys. I have to tell you that this coach's voice does NOTHING for me. His voice is the kind that you can't hear if he's not facing you head on. It's one of those voices that peeters away to nothing. And when he's talking to the boys he doesn't grab their attention as he's showing them stuff.

Even I have a more commanding voice than this guy. SERIOUSLY! When I walked into the dug-out a couple times this past Saturday to make sure that the Bear was drinking water (in the 85* heat), I made sure that the other boys were drinking as well. I made sure to use my COMMAND/SPEECH voice, which is so much louder than my normal voice.

BOYS! Make sure you drink some water while you're here in the dug-out because it's hot out there okay? 

And they listened to me. They did! They all grabbed their water bottles and drank.

Anyway, this Mom yesterday kept on making little comments under her breath as she's watching the coach. Oy! Poor gal. She wants to help. She sees that the coach needs help. And all he has to do is accept her help. But (of course) he's not doing that.

Would you be totally fuming if your kids' coach was a little over his/her head and didn't take you up on your offer to help?