Raise children to behave well on, off court

Kudos to the referee at the recent AAU tournament who walked off the court following a first half of trash talking and pushing and shoving.

I have attended this tournament a number of times with my own son and have complained to the director about the behaviors on the court. His response to me: “That's competitive basketball.”

Unfortunately, unless a parent or coach steps up and actually disciplines his or her child for poor behaviors on and off the court, nothing will ever change and society will continue to scratch its head and wonder why some young men behave the way they do.

After all, in watching the NCAA title game and seeing Kemba Walker of the University of Connecticut drop the F bomb on a close-up on national television, and no disciplinary action is taken, why do we expect these young men to behave any differently?

I was disappointed that the slant was more critical on the referee, than on the behavior of the players. I guess I will continue to focus on raising good, responsible young men to put out into society, the kind who will make good fathers and contributors to their communities.

My hope is that they are professional in something other than athletics.

Teresa Daubitz

Cedar Rapids