It's happening again. Junior Football season in all of it's glory. Huge helmets mounted on little heads, smacking against each other. The running of agonizingly slow developing plays where at some point nobody on the field or on the sidelines knows what's going on. Lots of false starts and miscues. The screams of parents and out of control coaches! Junior Football, a sport all on it's own. Thunderdome!
It is always a lot of fun to go out to the fields and watch the games every week. Sadly, we had to miss our son's game this weekend due to work, but it sounded like he had lots of fun (shout out to Grandma and Grandpa for taking him and getting him there on time). Everybody gets pretty excited about their special little guys(or girls) hitting the grid iron in their cute little uniforms with matching socks. As always, some gentle reminders to everyone involved with the process of these Junior football games.

1. You are not the coach(unless you are the coach). That guy has the toughest job on the field. Herding young minds like cats into understanding different parts of the game and hopefully coming out of practices with a semblance of a team. The good news is most all of the coaches are dealing with the same issues on their respective teams. Hilarity usually ensues.
2. Referees are people. They may seem like heartless zebra spawn, but they aren't, they are bunch of nice guys taking time out of their lives to help your kids enjoy the sport of football. The refs are always right even when they are wrong. Don't argue with the refs. You will look like an idiot(trust me, I've looked like an idiot in other sports, so now you don't have to)
3. Have your child show up for practice on time and in proper uniform. Don't know the proper uniform? Ask the coach. Ask another parent. Ask your kid. If your child is not in the proper uniform more than likely they can not practice or play simply because that coach is not going to put your child in situations to get hurt simply because of your negligence.
4. Tell the coach whether or not your child will be there for practices or games. Believe it or not, coaches have your child written into their game plan. They will need to rework something if your child is not there. Also realize you have made a commitment to have your child at practices and games(i.e. sometimes Gma and Gpa get asked to step in) . It will teach your children....well....commitment. Your time is not more special than anyone else's time. If you don't want people wasting your time, don't waste their time, Spiccoli(Millenials can google that reference).
5. Your son(or daughter, I haven't seen any girls but I'm sure they are out there) is not the only one on the team. It seems this escapes people that feel somehow their son is the hero and should be handed the ball every chance they can get it. This generally does not happen. Do not tell your child to be the hero. You are undermining the coach, you know, the guy who essentially agreed to babysit your kid for 2 hours a night.
6. In some of the younger ages, it is more about learning the game and playing, this is true. However, in some of the older age groups it is a little more about winning(GASP). Learning the game is done at practice. This is where the kids learn to play and grow in the sport. Yes, they will all get minutes and playing time, but positions will generally be handed out by the coach. Deal with it. They also will keep score in games and, yes, your child's team may lose. Heck, their team might not even score a point. Deal with that as well.
7. Yes. The coach may put their own kid in a skill position and you may grumble about this. My personal opinion is this is the coach's prerogative. Coach's sacrifice a lot of the time and energy volunteering to teach children the game of football while most parents just drop off and pick up. If they want to plug their kid in at QB. I say let them. My suggestion is if you want your child to play a specific position, then you should volunteer coach.
8. If you are wondering why little Johnny isn't getting a lot of playing time. Maybe show up at practice and watch how your child practices. Coaches judge kids a lot on how they practice. Is your kid paying attention? Are they trying their hardest at drill? Are they sitting out a lot? Are they as fast as the other players? Are they enthusiastic about the game? Are they prone to picking dandelions, chasing squirrels or picking noses(their own or a friends)? All good signs that if the child is not a good practice player they are not, currently, a good game player. It is ok to get on your kid for dogging it in practice. Another tactic is wait until they get done with a game, if they complain about their lack of playing time, then strike up a conversation about putting forth more work ethic in practice. This will teach your children...well....a work ethic.
9. Have an honest conversation with your child about how they feel about the game of football(Probably even before you sign them up.). While this may not be the easiest conversation, remember at some point you will explain one of the following: How babies are made, what racism is and why some people you love are, why two guys are kissing(I could care less but the conversation will be awkward, don't pretend it won't be), or how Magic Johnson continues to gain weight, and why do the Vikings continue to have fans. Some kids are not ready for full contact sports and that's ok. Telling the difference between an actual injury and bumps and bruises at the younger ages can be difficult. Don't make them hate the game before they even get a chance to like it, so if they don't want to play don't make them join. However once they've joined you are pretty much committed, so be committed. Talk to the coach and ask them how they feel your son(or daughter) is doing and what they can do to improve. More than likely the answer will be "Pay attention and try".
10. My biggest golden rule again with my own kids in activities: No matter what, tell your kids you enjoyed watching them play. Tell them you enjoyed watching them practice. This is a game about winning and losing, but they also make a lot of friends and learn a lot of life skills along the way. They learn about setting goals and setting up ways of attaining those goals. Don't take that away from them by demanding fairness and equal playing time.
(Edit: While I wanted this to remain a clean "Top 10" list. I will add an 11. although it should be probably be #1. Safety! Safety! Safety!. Nothing in 2nd Grade through the Pros is greater than the safety of these players. If they get hit take them out. This is why Parents should hang around most Junior Football practices. If somehow your child is hurt where added care is needed, be there so you can make that decision and transport your child. The football coaches and other parents there are not going to make that call for you. Instead they will have to contact you and little Johnny will more than likely writhe in agony on the ground. Don't make little Johnny writhe in agony because you wanted to go grab some groceries quick. This would be the number 1 reason parents attend practice in my book, the only other reason is if the coach needs assistance in running drills.)

(I am in no way, shape, or form some sort of child development professional. These are all observational. Take them for what they are worth and use them as you see fit. A lot of this is written in a humorous tone, but if you do have tips on explaining to a 3rd grader why two dudes are kissing I'm all ears, because "they are sinners" is not an acceptable answer and you know it.)