If there’s one thing I know about youth football, and really youth sports in general, it's that sports are supposed to be fun for the kids. Young athletes come in all shapes, sizes and skill levels, but each of them should get something out of the experience. 

Not every kid can be the best on the team and not every kid can be a big contributor, but that doesn’t matter. What’s most important is that each child goes out onto that football field and plays for the love of the game and has fun win, lose, or draw.

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Sometimes parents can lose sight of that because there are some of them who think every kid who puts on a uniform should be able to run 100 yards for a touchdown, catch every pass, block every defensive player, or tackle in the open field. The reality is that not every kid has the same ability and that’s OK. The main objective of youth sports is to have fun and get better.

That’s why it annoys me when I hear a parent criticize, make fun of, or just bad-mouth another child on a team. If you’re a youth football parent, words like that should never ever come out of your mouth. Kids should be encouraged, not discouraged. They should be commended for trying and not yelled at for failing. They should be taught how to do things better and not ridiculed for making a mistake.

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Sometimes, a parent really doesn’t know anything about someone else's child.  Maybe the kid was having a bad day or there’s something else going on in life that is distracting that child from what’s happening on the field. 

If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all and keep it to yourself.

I’ve seen and heard this happen too many times on the football field and it’s just wrong. If I’m chatting with another parent who says something derogatory about a child that is not theirs, I’ll do one of two things.  I’ll either point out that the child deserves a big pat on the back for even being out there, or if this parent is completely delusional, I’ll just walk away. 

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The only time you could even accept something being said is if a child was being insubordinate to a coach or did something so egregious that it warranted a comment. 

But there’s no reason to besmirch a child who may not necessarily have the same talents that your child has. In fact, not everyone is perfect and if someone’s child just happens to drop a pass or miss a block at a key moment, you wouldn’t want another parent saying something negative about your child.

Life is hard enough for kids sometimes and they can really look to sports to have some fun for a little while. Being on a football field can be a safe haven for a child whether they’re the best on a team or just one of the kids. 

Notice I didn’t say “worst on the team."  No child deserves that moniker or any negative connotation for that matter.

Peter Schwartz is a sports anchor for the CBS Sports Radio Network, FOX News Headlines 24/7 and WCBS 880 Radio in New York. His older son Bradley will be playing middle school football on Long Island this fall, while his younger son Jared plays flag football. Peter, his wife Sheryl and the boys are busy cheering on the New York Jets when they’re not at a youth football field.