NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE THINKING

The football season has started and our football team is coming along great. I am coaching a Pop Warner team. (Updates will be in a later post, we are still in scrimmage mode)

Yesterday at practice we were doing defensive drills. I was standing on the edge of the field since I coach the offensive line. As I am making my notes for my offensive lineman and I get a tap on my shoulder and a voice states, "Are you the Head Coach?" I turn around and I see a man who I never have seen before and I reply, "No, but how may I help you." He says, "I am here to pick up Henry (I will not use the kid's real name for this post), he is late for his tutoring." I ask him, "Who are you?" and he says very hesitantly, "I am a friend." This all sounded very suspicious considering that we are in the middle of a practice and this guy comes out of nowhere to pick up a kid. I tell this guy, "Hold on a second, let me check with the Head Coach." He then tells me, "If you can hurry it up, we are already 30 minutes late."

I go over to Henry and I say to him, "You see that guy in the white shirt? Do you know him?" and Henry said ,"No." I asked Henry if he had tutoring today and he said no.

I walked back over to this guy and I said to him, "Who sent you to pick up Henry?" and this guy said, "His mother." I advised this guy that I needed his mother to come get Henry before I will release him to an adult, that I have never seen before. He gets irritated with me and starts to tell me that I am making Henry even later to the tutoring session. I asked the guy where Henry's mom is and he said in the car. He was told to go get her and Henry can leave. The guy left in a huff and talking all sorts of smack to me as he walked away.

About five minutes later, I notice that Henry's mom is storming across the field at me. I figure I will meet her halfway. Before I can even get to her, she starts to yell at me about how they are late to the tutoring session and how Henry was lying to me because he didn't want to leave football practice. I tried to explain to her, that I am not releasing a child to a person that I don't know and one that is giving me answers that are vague. I told her that if she leaves the practice field, the kids are our responsibility and we take that responsibility serious. She was not happy with my answers and started to rant and rave. I said to her very politely, "Ma'am, Henry's over there and you can take him to where he needs to go." I turned around and walked away thinking to myself , "Lady, what are you thinking."