Parenting: Top Speaker Notes One Reason "Mad Dads" Overreact At Their Kids' Ballgames

Why do men seem to get uncorked and do all kinds of strange things at their children?s ballgames?

There is the loud type who feels he has to bark directions at his Little Leaguer as the boy or girl is at the plate.

And there is the even more aggressive type who is compelled to argue with soccer and basketball referees.

Finally, there is the guy that goes completely overboard, picking fights with fellow parents, umpires, and even league officials, when they?re around.

What do these behaviors have in common and why do they come out during athletic competitions and not when their kids are singing in the glee club?

I believe it all boils down to emotion. Men have emotions but are famous for suppressing them.

But we?ve been taught and have observed that it?s okay to show strong emotions in one place: at a sporting venue.

For example, my dad was a mild-mannered gentleman. Universally, people thought he was a nice guy, and I agree with that assessment.

But when he?d hit the ballpark, he morphed like a vampire or the wolf man.

He?d bark out encouragement to me in the strangest, guttural voice. I didn?t have a problem with it, but I did notice something was askew.

I have always speculated that at some level he was imitating either the guy that sold newspapers on the corner, or someone he saw at old Comiskey Park, in Chicago, where the White Sox played.

Normally, a very controlled guy, he let it rip and let his emotions show at the baseball diamond.

And I believe men who go overboard, unlike dad, believe that?s okay because they have no other places where they can permit their aggressions to come out.

By the way, when league officials have cracked down on aggressive cheering and have invoked rules of silence for the sidelines, many men have complained that much of the joy has been removed from kid-sports.

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Economic Growth Continues - More Than 5.3 Million Jobs Created Since August 2003
On June 2, 2006, The Government Released New Jobs Figures – 75,000 Jobs Created In May. The economy has created about 1.9 million jobs over the past 12 months – and more than 5.3 million since August 2003. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent – lower than the average of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

The Economy Remains Strong, And The Outlook Is Favorable

Revised Report Shows Fastest Real GDP Growth In Two-And-A-Half Years. Real GDP grew at an annual rate of 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 – the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.

Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.7 Percent In The First Quarter.

Real Hourly Compensation Rose At A 3.2 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter.

Personal Income Increased At An Annual Rate Of 6.7 Percent In April. Since January 2001, real after-tax income has risen by 12.9 percent, or 7.3 percent per person.

Real Consumer Spending Increased At An Annual Rate Of 5.2 Percent In The First Quarter.

Employment Increased In 47 States Over The Past 12 Months Ending In April. Nonfarm payroll employment increased in 41 states in April.

Industrial Production Increased 4.7 Percent Over The Past 12 Months. Over the past 12 months, manufacturing production has increased by 5.5 percent.

President Bush Has An Aggressive Agenda To Keep The Economy Growing

This Week, President Bush Nominated Henry Paulson As Treasury Secretary. Paulson has an intimate knowledge of financial markets and an ability to explain economic issues in clear terms. For the past eight years, Paulson has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Goldman Sachs Group, one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.

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The President’s Tax Relief Has Helped Spur Growth By Keeping $880 Billion In The Pockets Of American Taxpayers. The Administration reduced taxes for every American who pays income taxes, doubled the child tax credit, reduced the marriage penalty, created investment incentives for small businesses, and put the death tax on the road to extinction.

Growing The Economy And Reducing The Deficit Depend On Controlling The Spending Appetite Of The Federal Government. Every year since the President took office, the Administration has slowed the growth of discretionary spending that is not related to the military or homeland security. The President's last two budgets cut discretionary spending that was unrelated to the military or homeland security, and we are on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009.

If The Emergency Supplemental Bill – Which The President Has Requested To Help Fund The War On Terror And Hurricane Recovery – Includes Non-Emergency Or Wasteful Spending Or Exceeds The President's Set Limit Of $92.2 Billion Plus Funding To Prepare Our Nation For A Pandemic Flu Emergency, He Will Veto It.

In The Long Run, The Biggest Challenge To Our Nation's Budgetary Health Is Entitlement Spending On Programs Such As Social Security And Medicare. We call on members of both parties to join us in a bipartisan commission to address this critical issue.

The President Will Continue Working With Congress To Restrain Spending In Other Ways, Including Passing A Line-Item Veto. A line-item veto would allow us to cut needless spending, reduce the budget deficit, and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely – or not at all.