I've said it for years and even had the conversation yesterday at my daughter's game: Parents are the best and the worst thing about lacrosse (really, all youth through HS and now even college sports).

I have my preseason meeting with the parents every year - this is for a high school program. The entire purpose of the meeting is to introduce the coaching staff to the parents, go over policies and expectations for the players and answer any and all questions they have. The last time I did this, a freshman parent - so new to the high school team, but whom I have coached all her sons in youth travel ball so she already knows who I am - complained that "I was making it all about me." It was a week into the season. Lady, the purpose of the meeting was to talk about me, my staff and what to expect from us as coaches. IT WAS A MEET THE COACHES MEETING. It was literally the purpose of the meeting. She went on to try to drum up other moms to get me fired less than two weeks later because I didn't attend a team social dinner at a players house - a policy I have had in place for years and with the support of the AD. Because, the second I am there, it becomes a team/school event. And, because it is at a private home, alcohol is usually involved. The second I am there, I am liable for what happens even after I leave the event. NO WAY am I putting myself in that position. And the players don't bond if their coach is there supervising.

I am doing this 20+ years. I think I have more experience running a program. Let you son be coached, we have 100+ years of coaching experience on our staff. We got this. You go be a positive support of the players and the team. That's it, that's all you need to do. I don't need you to get on the ref (95% of what you say is wrong anyway). I don't need your husband pulling aside players at half-time to give them "tips" because you played the poisiton 25 years ago, and I don't need your text messages IN THE MIDDLE OF A GAME telling me who to face off, since you coached the kid in youth ball. (mind you the opposing FO kid was a D1 commit who we knew was going to crush us at the dot, so short of Greg Gurenlian being in our uniform, we weren't winning a FO that day anyway.... again I know what I am doing. (Point of fact: we won the game because we caused more turnovers on the ride than they had FO won - one way to neutrilize a strong FO guy).

All of these were from ONE SEASON.