The Martha's Vineyard Times

Parental misbehavior

August 17, 2011

To the Editor:
I am a 17-year-old student at Martha's Vineyard Regional High School. Having played hockey on Martha's Vineyard my whole life, I have experienced firsthand what it is like to play in a friendly environment. Having said that, I have recently witnessed what has become not so friendly of an environment.

The Island holds a summer hockey league, which has recently been full of unnecessary, not to mention, out of control conduct. I have seen close friends turn on each other and be targeted on for one reason and one reason only. Their parents.

A shout from the stands from a parent telling their kid to "kill" another player is not the message a responsible parent should be giving a child. These parents need to get control of themselves. Aside from the fact that this behavior is provoking physical violence, long-lasting bonds are in jeopardy of being destroyed by the people who are supposedly role models.

Tyler Araujo

Oak Bluffs