All you are is...mean.

If you are a professional, I would expect you to behave like a professional. Am I wrong here?

I don't care how old you are. I don't care your field. I don't care how much I am paying you. You have the obligation to treat me, your customer with respect. This requirement is magnified the moment I place one of my children in your care.

This summer, my oldest joined the swim team in our community. It has been such a great experience for him. We encouraged  him to join because we knew it would be a confidence booster for him. We figured because it is such an individual sport and yet still a team sport it would be perfect for him.

You see, my oldest is very tender hearted. A better friend you will not find because he is genuine. He asks you a question because he really wants to know more about you. He is keenly aware of others feelings and doesn't want to hurt anyone. Great guy.

The flip side is that he isn't aggressive...at all. He struggles with this because so many boys his age are. They are much more competitive and rough and less considerate of others. He is willing to let others win just so they will feel good about themselves.

This is why when we heard about the swim team, we signed him up. And like I said, it has been great.

Today, however, when I pulled up to the pool to pick Kobe up, he was really quiet. Unusually quiet. I looked at him and asked, "Hey. What's up? Is everything okay?"

"I guess I am a baby," he replied, tearing up.
"What? Who told you that?" I asked, feeling the temperature in my blood start to rise.
"The assistant coach," he sniffled out.

I asked him to explain what happened.

**It is important to note that for the past week, they have been swimming with jeans so that when they compete, they will be much stronger.**

Well, today, for whatever reason, Kobe was having a hard time. Maybe it was because he swam in six different events Saturday. Maybe it's because he had his trunks on under his pants. Maybe it's because he is still getting over being sick. Maybe I am giving him too many excuses. But for whatever reason, it was really hard for him today.

Doesn't everyone have an off day? We are allowed that, right?

Apparently the assistant coach didn't think so. She started yelling at him, "Come on, you baby! Stop being a baby!!" She said this more than once.

These are children.

They aren't college students who have developed thick skin. They aren't high school kids who couldn't care less what you say because they know more than you anyway. No. You are working with impressionable kids who take what you say to heart. Some of them literally.

It's one thing to come from a peer. It's totally different to come from an adult. But it is absolutely unacceptable to come from a professional. Do you not know the difference between encouraging and degrading? Surely you know it does nothing in building their confidence.

I assured him that he wasn't a baby. The problem was not his...it sounded more like it was hers. Perhaps she hadn't learned that degrading others was not considered motivating.

You can bet that I will be at the pool tomorrow. Keeping an eye on that gal. Most likely speaking with the head coach.

Am I overreacting? Would you be upset? What would you do? 

Really, what should I do?