The Parents Lay on the Guilt - Sports Kids Moms and Dads, Episode 4 by Kristy Lussier
At the beginning of the episode, Bryce is trying on different outfits for Junior Nationals, which is just around the corner. (Remember, Bryce likes clothes.) His coach and Kim, his mom, have a serious conversation about his outfit and how important it is to his routine. Later, Bryce’s coach gets on his case because he’s falling and slipping during his routine, and for some reason he can’t and won’t skate the whole piece without stopping. All of a sudden, Bryce freaks out and almost starts crying because his mother is NOT watching him. He says he wants her to see his jumps. This comes out of nowhere, considering last week, Bryce couldn’t even skate five feet if his mother was watching, because it made him nervous. I think he is just nervous all together; this is the last practice before Nationals.
Karli starts off by explaining how she’s working three part time jobs just so she can try to keep her horse. We see her being a hostess at a local restaurant, plus she works at the barn and a video store. She says since she was little, all she remembers is her mother working, so to work is just “natural” for her. Great intention, but a lot of bitterness behind that statement I presume. I am correct, because later her and her mother, Karen, exchange some very heated words while driving to a grocery store. Karli tells her “you’re a shitty mother.” While Karen retorts back “you’re a two year old.” This argument is a clear sign that these two are in need of some serious counseling. After all that, Karen still is not sure if they are definitely selling the horse, and Karli is upset at her mother for hanging her in the balance like this. Both of them lack communication, and it’s going to get even worse, even though viewers may think it’s the worst it can be. It’s not.
We first see Sharon showing family pictures and explaining about her life when she was young. Apparently, she didn’t make cheerleader in middle school, and the girls were cruel to her. My husband laughed when he saw this segment, saying, and I quote “That explains everything now!” In the next scene, Sharon is pushing Sarah and getting on her case at cheer practice. Miss Nicole, Sarah’s coach, looks at Sharon probably thinking the same thing I think “This woman is crazy.” When Sarah stays home from school on a Monday because she’s not feeling well, Sharon lays on a huge guilt trip at the fact that Sarah contemplates not going to practice. She then tells Sarah “You make the decision; it’s your future…” Poor Sarah. She feels so much pressure to please her mother and her coach; she jeopardizes her own health to go to practice. I was pleased to see later that Sarah got a break on her birthday by having dinner at nice restaurant with family.
Trenton gets a nice dose of reality when he goes with his Dad to see the semi-pro league play a game. He gets to be the water boy, but halfway through the sequence, he begins biting his nails in fear of what his eyes see. He looks like he wants to throw up, because those big boys are rough and tough and little Trenton only knows how to run stairs now. Ha. It was a pretty funny clip, poor little Trenton. Later Trenton’s team has a practice and Craig remarks on how Trenton’s strongest talent is in running as a wide receiver, yet these little pee-wee’s don’t usually do a big passing game. Afterwards, Trenton gets emotional at a running practice when his dad beats him in a sprint. It’s probably because the poor boy spent all morning running up sand dunes. This kid isn’t a kid at all. Through the magic of television editing, all we see is Trenton running, and running, and running. And crying.
TJ and Lindsay open to a very stressful practice. Stressful for TJ because everyone is slacking off on shooting hoops, including Lindsay. Stressful for Lindsay because she is worried about her mic being on and hearing the gossip she’s sharing with a girlfriend about some guy she met earlier. TJ is not afraid to tell Lindsay she’s not ready to step up, she’s just being lazy. She is also trying to shelter her daughter from going out to shoot at another gym, where she knows Lindsay may or may not be hanging out with some guys. Lindsay seems like she likes basketball right now, but doesn’t LOVE it. She just wants to be a teenager and date. TJ later confesses that she has a hard time with all of this because she gave up a daughter for adoption. Her overall concern is to keep Lindsay from straying down the wrong path, and she thinks basketball is the best ticket. Lindsay has other things on her mind. Boys.
Next week: Sarah meets some real competition, and Bryce gets ready for the skate of his life.
|
|