Do you really think telling an official that he or she is an idiot is suddenly going to help them see the game from your perspective? And if not, why is it that in sports, we check our common sense at the gate? Isn't discipline part of what we want our children to learn from athletics? Then why illustrate for them in living color the most undisciplined behavior of all? Why not be a model of sportsmanship and self-discipline? Why not help them see that no matter how the game is called, you worry only about those things over which you have control?

And finally, if you think the officials out there are so terribly bad, then put on the stripes yourself and do the job. I think you will find that not only is it a much more difficult job than you think it is, it is even more thankless than you can imagine.

There is a reason parents don't referee the games of their own children. They can't see the games clearly. That's okay, as long as you know you view your child in the light most favorable to him or her.

My favorite complaint is that people actually believe fouls should be even. Sometimes they're lopsided for a reason that DOES NOT include cheating referees. Sometimes, one team actually fouls more than the other.

If you want any kind of quality official to continue to referee the games your children play then you need to zip it. Be quiet. Restrain and refrain. If you cannot, you will continue to drive good people out of the mostly volunteer positions. Then what will your children do?

To criticize the officials is to me one of the most egregious of sports sins. These people barely get paid enough to cover the cost of the required uniforms and gasoline to get to the games. They do it because they love high school sports and feel it's a way of giving back to the system that allowed them to excel as athletes. To take you frustrations out on them seems to me to be the epitome of ingratitude.

It's also a very lame attempt at making excuses, which is something we don't want our children to learn from athletics. We want them to learn personal accountability, but when you begin to blame the referees for a lost game, your children will quickly follow you down that path. It is easier to say the refs had it in for you, than it is to deal with what you didn't do right in a contest.

If sports are a training ground for life, you are setting your children up for failure. They will not always get a fair shake, and they need to learn to succeed without making excuses or tearing other people down to make themselves feel better.

And those of you who say I'm just a kill-joy, party-pooper and lacking in any and all school spirit, I should warn you that deep down, your student athletes find you behavior and lack of control embarrassing and ridiculous.

It doesn't exhibit loyalty or school spirit to run officials out of the gym. This is high school sports and nearly everyone involved is trying to allow your child to have an experience that will build character, not expose flaws in the character of his or her parents.

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com