DebraBaker
01-26-2004, 10:14 AM
We went skiing with our karate club this weekend.
I had Julianna on the very beginner slope. Two of my other sons were there as well (Julianna is 4 and a beginner skiier, Joseph is 8 and a beginner snowboarder, Josh is 11 and a beginner snowboarder.)
There was a dad with a son a bit older than Julianna. He was teaching the boy to ski using a long pole (not a ski pole but about a six-eigh foot long pole)
Julianna and I were at the bottom of the hill when a teenaged snowboarder plowed into the dad. The dad was understandibly upset. I was nervous as well thinking it could have been one of the younger skiiers. Well, as J. and I were getting on the chairlift Josh comes down the hill toward the righthand side of the hill well away from everyone else and falls at the bottom (near the lift, no liftline) So, from my vantage on the chairlife (right over the scene) this man starts ripping into my son. Telling him he cannot board on that side of the hill, how he needs to be on the lefthand side and he shouldn't go near anyone and yaddayaddayadda, just ripping into him (note: much more than he ripped into the teenager)
Needless to say I was livid. But I wanted to be either on the top or bottom of the hill to have a word or two with the man (when I calmed down a minute)
Josh was upset but I told him (in no uncertain terms) that that man had no right to tell him where he could snowboard. He wasn't a ski patrol and wasn't an employee of the resort. He had absolutely no authority over my son and had no right to tell him where to go. I told Josh that the man was upset because of the other boarder and was taking it out on all snowboarders. 'Told him this is called, "displaced aggression" and that I was waiting for an opportunity to talk with the man.
Unfortunately as I was going back up the chairlift I noticed him moving over to another hill so I yelled at him (don't even know he heard me, "yo stickman, stop picking on innocent snowboarders")
And that was that.
I wish I could have more calmly told him that my son was boarding responsibly, that he had no right bossing a kid around, that I understood he was upset with the other boarder (the one he didn't yell at because he was a teenager, he was safer venting on a scrawney 11YO, and that I was skiing with my KARATE CLUB, as in don't bother with us, pal.
I just get sick of adults bullying children.
....And I guess I can toss in the dad forcing his (about same size as my 4YO) son down one of the black diamonds. Poor kid crying and telling his dad, "I don't want to do this" Poor little kid and the dad just saying (paraphrased) suck it up) Ruined that run for me, that's for sure, poor little child.
DB
I had Julianna on the very beginner slope. Two of my other sons were there as well (Julianna is 4 and a beginner skiier, Joseph is 8 and a beginner snowboarder, Josh is 11 and a beginner snowboarder.)
There was a dad with a son a bit older than Julianna. He was teaching the boy to ski using a long pole (not a ski pole but about a six-eigh foot long pole)
Julianna and I were at the bottom of the hill when a teenaged snowboarder plowed into the dad. The dad was understandibly upset. I was nervous as well thinking it could have been one of the younger skiiers. Well, as J. and I were getting on the chairlift Josh comes down the hill toward the righthand side of the hill well away from everyone else and falls at the bottom (near the lift, no liftline) So, from my vantage on the chairlife (right over the scene) this man starts ripping into my son. Telling him he cannot board on that side of the hill, how he needs to be on the lefthand side and he shouldn't go near anyone and yaddayaddayadda, just ripping into him (note: much more than he ripped into the teenager)
Needless to say I was livid. But I wanted to be either on the top or bottom of the hill to have a word or two with the man (when I calmed down a minute)
Josh was upset but I told him (in no uncertain terms) that that man had no right to tell him where he could snowboard. He wasn't a ski patrol and wasn't an employee of the resort. He had absolutely no authority over my son and had no right to tell him where to go. I told Josh that the man was upset because of the other boarder and was taking it out on all snowboarders. 'Told him this is called, "displaced aggression" and that I was waiting for an opportunity to talk with the man.
Unfortunately as I was going back up the chairlift I noticed him moving over to another hill so I yelled at him (don't even know he heard me, "yo stickman, stop picking on innocent snowboarders")
And that was that.
I wish I could have more calmly told him that my son was boarding responsibly, that he had no right bossing a kid around, that I understood he was upset with the other boarder (the one he didn't yell at because he was a teenager, he was safer venting on a scrawney 11YO, and that I was skiing with my KARATE CLUB, as in don't bother with us, pal.
I just get sick of adults bullying children.
....And I guess I can toss in the dad forcing his (about same size as my 4YO) son down one of the black diamonds. Poor kid crying and telling his dad, "I don't want to do this" Poor little kid and the dad just saying (paraphrased) suck it up) Ruined that run for me, that's for sure, poor little child.
DB