Rotten eggs even in the best basket; a vent about a rude soccer parent

In general, people here are very relaxed, friendly, and even excessively helpful. There seems to be a large group of wives, husbands or parents available to volunteer at any kind of event or arrangement, and we’ve had very good experience as far as this concerns – that is, until this week; as it turns out, not everybody is nice.

Last season my husband coached baseball along with another father, and the team had a team-mom who organized snacks for after the games, as well as a team party. After the very last game, my husband received a very generous gift that the parents of the team had collected money for and the team-mom had bought. I helped coach another team when the coaches were away, as well as pitched in with snacks and other needs for both teams. Everybody was helpful.

This season – soccer – the league was slightly less well organized, but the coaches certainly did their best to make it a fun experience for the kids. Both August’s & William’s teams have had lots of help from parents when it comes to assisting during practice or bringing snacks. Nobody on William’s team however, was ready to collect money and buy thank-you gifts for the coaches, but still some parents thought this would be a nice thing to do, myself included. Without a volunteer, a waddle of money started being passed around among the parents present during the last practice, with the rule that whoever ended up with the waddle last, would be the one to buy the presents. I was not the second to last parent, but apparently, possibly the second to last parent who would actually be inclined to pitch in, and since – for all kinds of reasons – I would not be able to be the one buying the presents, I was quite relieved when I was able to hand over the money to a father of the Dutch boy on the team. When I explained the situation he exploded – in my face - and started yelling at me about how badly organized this league has been this year, how people don’t volunteer “I already coach my other child’s team! AND I work; I’m busy, and now I have to do this as well??!”, how terrible it was that there had been no snacks for the kids after one of the games (we were in Minia that weekend so my boys did not have to 'suffer this injustice' (really; who cares?! There's no law saying somebody MUST bring snacks), and how awful all the other parents of the children on his son’s team are because they won’t volunteer to take care of the presents. “And why can’t YOU do it?!” he yelled in my face. I told him that there was no reason for him to be rude to me, that I work too while juggling other things (I did not elaborate) and that I in fact had brought snacks twice PLUS volunteered to bring something for the party, and again, that his attack on me was completely uncalled for, but he persisted in his offensive behavior. He had obviously not quite understood what I had told him, because he claimed I had just said that HE had been appointed by the – by him declared - lazy, never volunteering parent-crowd of five (who had just organized a team party and volunteered to bring gift bags as well as snacks and drinks), to be the one buying the presents. I explained the situation again. He first stuffed his contribution back in his wallet with a violent gesture, and said that then he would not be giving anything, but after his wife showed up, obviously embarrassed by his behavior, he snatched the waddle of money out of my hand, making another rude gesture at my remark that everybody was putting 100LE in, and let between his teeth “I guess I’ll have to fix this!” as he stormed off.

Can you believe this guy?! And to a working AND homeschooling, tired, pregnant woman with swollen ankles. What a jerk!