Editorial: When parental love goes too far
Janet Chiauzzi was accused of menacing a Little League official after her son wasn't chosen for a travel team. Credit: NCPD
Now this is what you call a foul ball.
A 44-year-old mother was arrested last week after she allegedly responded to her son's failure to make an elite Little League baseball travel squad by sending letters to a league official and his son that threatened the official's wife and daughter. She's also accused of posting a letter to the principal of the official's children's school accusing him of child abuse, and of sending missives to other league officials demanding he be stripped of his position.
Extraordinary overreactions in defense of one's children, and in relation to athletics, aren't common -- but they're not that rare either. It's happening more and more, and has led to deaths, over a youth hockey game and because of a cheerleading squad spot. And it's an ultra extreme version of an evolution in society that, in a tiny way, most of us experience.
Parents are more protective of their kids these days, and quicker to advocate for them, more likely to call the teacher, the coach or the college admissions officer to plead their offspring's case. We can debate whether this is the best thing for the kids, but it's not unreasonable.
But the menacing rage that we see parents exhibit in defense of their childrens' rights, over fleeting issues, is intolerable. The Long Island boy was likely heartbroken that he couldn't play on the team. Now, if she's convicted, he may go without a mother around for awhile, thanks to a very poor play on her part. hN
