Kids reading the forum

Hello - I just wanted to remind everyone that some players do read this forum occasionally, so be cautious about over-the-top criticisms of teams, clubs, coaches, particular games (and a team's play in the game) and (goes without saying) players. And referees!! Open discussions are great and worthwhile and sharing all the soccer stuff we all enjoy so much is fun, and constructive criticisms and opinions are terrific - I personally have learned a lot reading the forum over the years... just let's try to check ourselves sometimes and make sure we don't step over the line.

I didn't know my daughters ( 12 & 14) and their friends checked in here sometimes until I caught them yesterday! And there is some stuff a few folks have written that could be interpreted as insensitive, I think (also gossipy and not always backed up by fact). The "gossip" is okay maybe, because that's what this forum is about a lot of the time, and of course I spent some time putting it into perspective with these girls and making sure they understood that most of what is written is opinion of loony adults, so it's not like I am saying they are traumatized or anything (they are tough soccer players, after all), but I hope everyone remembers that these are just lots of kids having lots of fun on the soccer field. Let's remember to teach them respect for the game and for the many adults who give up a lot of their personal time and own families to contribute to these kids' soccer experience.

Having said that, just out of curiosity I just browsed through some of the other active forums on this site and OUCH! Some of the stuff on a few of the other states' forums is just mean! Maybe we are pretty nice here in Mass. after all!

Re: Kids reading the forum

Hello - I just wanted to remind everyone that some players do read this forum occasionally, so be cautious about over-the-top criticisms of teams, clubs, coaches, particular games (and a team's play in the game) and (goes without saying) players. And referees!! Open discussions are great and worthwhile and sharing all the soccer stuff we all enjoy so much is fun, and constructive criticisms and opinions are terrific - I personally have learned a lot reading the forum over the years... just let's try to check ourselves sometimes and make sure we don't step over the line.

I didn't know my daughters ( 12 & 14) and their friends checked in here sometimes until I caught them yesterday! And there is some stuff a few folks have written that could be interpreted as insensitive, I think (also gossipy and not always backed up by fact). The "gossip" is okay maybe, because that's what this forum is about a lot of the time, and of course I spent some time putting it into perspective with these girls and making sure they understood that most of what is written is opinion of loony adults, so it's not like I am saying they are traumatized or anything (they are tough soccer players, after all), but I hope everyone remembers that these are just lots of kids having lots of fun on the soccer field. Let's remember to teach them respect for the game and for the many adults who give up a lot of their personal time and own families to contribute to these kids' soccer experience.

Having said that, just out of curiosity I just browsed through some of the other active forums on this site and OUCH! Some of the stuff on a few of the other states' forums is just mean! Maybe we are pretty nice here in Mass. after all!

Who are you calling "loony"?

[pitch420]

Re: Kids reading the forum

Hello - I just wanted to remind everyone that some players do read this forum occasionally, so be cautious about over-the-top criticisms of teams, clubs, coaches, particular games (and a team's play in the game) and (goes without saying) players. And referees!! Open discussions are great and worthwhile and sharing all the soccer stuff we all enjoy so much is fun, and constructive criticisms and opinions are terrific - I personally have learned a lot reading the forum over the years... just let's try to check ourselves sometimes and make sure we don't step over the line.

I didn't know my daughters ( 12 & 14) and their friends checked in here sometimes until I caught them yesterday! And there is some stuff a few folks have written that could be interpreted as insensitive, I think (also gossipy and not always backed up by fact). The "gossip" is okay maybe, because that's what this forum is about a lot of the time, and of course I spent some time putting it into perspective with these girls and making sure they understood that most of what is written is opinion of loony adults, so it's not like I am saying they are traumatized or anything (they are tough soccer players, after all), but I hope everyone remembers that these are just lots of kids having lots of fun on the soccer field. Let's remember to teach them respect for the game and for the many adults who give up a lot of their personal time and own families to contribute to these kids' soccer experience.

Having said that, just out of curiosity I just browsed through some of the other active forums on this site and OUCH! Some of the stuff on a few of the other states' forums is just mean! Maybe we are pretty nice here in Mass. after all!

Sobering....thanks for bringing it up.

Time to take your meds. With all the trash on the interent your worried about you kid reading that some soccer clubs charge a lot of money to provide the right"soccer experience", and some clubs subject 11 and 12 year olds to a very competitive league.

[Blue Devil]

Time to take your meds. With all the trash on the interent your worried about you kid reading that some soccer clubs charge a lot of money to provide the right"soccer experience", and some clubs subject 11 and 12 year olds to a very competitive league.

Thruball - it appeared to me that - "guest" whoever that may be was just trying to remind us that kids do read the forum and to be conscious of that when we post.

seemed like good advice to me

[pitch420]

Time to take your meds. With all the trash on the interent your worried about you kid reading that some soccer clubs charge a lot of money to provide the right"soccer experience", and some clubs subject 11 and 12 year olds to a very competitive league.

Hits a little closer to home as the kids can relate, in many circumstances, to whats being said about THEIR club or THEIR team.

[Soccer Fan]

Time to take your meds. With all the trash on the interent your worried about you kid reading that some soccer clubs charge a lot of money to provide the right"soccer experience", and some clubs subject 11 and 12 year olds to a very competitive league.

I think the point is that it's ok to say "I think this club or this system is bad because it's not worth the money etc etc.
It's NOT ok to say "The striker on the green GU-14 team is an ugly witch!" I'm exagerating but you get the idea.

Time to take your meds. With all the trash on the interent your worried about you kid reading that some soccer clubs charge a lot of money to provide the right"soccer experience", and some clubs subject 11 and 12 year olds to a very competitive league.

You are right thruball, what was I thinking? How silly of me to request civility and try to bring over some of the Maple forum guidelines to this new forum, especially since we now seem to have gained some new posters.

Instead, I will now use this as a parenting opportunity (in addition to the no-MySpace rule, the approved list of e-mail and IM friends, the filters that prevent accidental bad-stuff, and things like my posting as "Guest" because of our no-providing-email-addresses-unless-absolutely-necessary rule) to teach my children that adults can be rude and nasty, even in a soccer forum. Maybe I can really add to their passion for the sport by providing you with their club, ages & jersey numbers (3 clubs and 3 age groups among the girls) so that when you really feel that adrenaline pumping and want to feel important, you can attack them directly instead of indirect digs at their clubs, coaches, game performance.

I hope you see what I am getting at (I don't know the emoticon for facetious).... I don't believe I ever stated that anything anyone has written on this new Mass. forum or even the old one crossed the line or was mean-spirited, and certainly the girls were mostly laughing at much of the stuff which is fine (and healthy). But after checking out some of those other states it struck me that with the ability to post anonymously now (and yes, I am guilty, for the reason stated above), and with state cup & tryouts coming up, I didn't think a simple reminder to not go down that bad path and to act like adults when chatting about a kids' game was so terrible given that some of the players might be reading what we (their teachers and mentors) write.

pitch and SoccerFan and BlueDevil, yes that is exactly what I was trying to get at, thanks for saying it more succintly!

[FSM]

[You are right thruball, what was I thinking? How silly of me to request civility and try to bring over some of the Maple forum guidelines to this new forum, especially since we now seem to have gained some new posters.

How can you tell? Everyone seems to be posting under Guest.

[butkusfan]

Partly because the old site was so tightly monitored and controlled civility did rule and hopefully it will here as well. As for the children, they will be the most ardent violators. Take a look at the Boston Globe Forums on HS sports, most of which is posted by HS players and friends, and let me know if you think your concerns really should be with the parents or the kids? Yes, the difference here is that we get 12 and 13 year olds showing interest but since most of them are more computer saavy than their parents don't be fooled into thinking that a "that striker for the FC Greenbottoms is a real hag" post didn't come from the 12 year old Fullback who played against her the Sunday before.

[Blue Devil]

Except for a few posters going back and forth at each other - there was very little in the way of disparaging comments directed at players or even particular coaches on the Touchline. (Although there was one very funny rip at Sherman Whipple were the Mom ripping him had no clue that she was communicating with the ref depicted (pictured) in her complaint)

Why wouldn't that be the case here?

[Soccer Fan]

Except for a few posters going back and forth at each other - there was very little in the way of disparaging comments directed at players or even particular coaches on the Touchline. (Although there was one very funny rip at Sherman Whipple were the Mom ripping him had no clue that she was communicating with the ref depicted (pictured) in her complaint)

Why wouldn't that be the case here?

I hope it is the case. When we moved over I told the admin I had seen very little on the Maple boards that was deletable, that while it got snippy most people kept it within reason. I don't see why that needs to change.

[TheStatsGuy]

You really want to know why the post was a good one and necessary? Check out masslive.com and go to high school forums and check any sport and gender. The stuff on there gets pretty heavy at times. More on the boys side but the girls have their share too.

[Guest]

Not a good site at all for kids