The summertime is usually the highlight of a child’s life.

With no school in session, they get to sleep late, play with their friends all day, or jump in the swimming pool if it gets too hot.

And for a group of the area’s finest youth baseball players, they get to spend a summer out on the diamond playing the game they love.

All-Star tournaments begin this week for Natchez and Vidalia Dixie Youth baseball teams.

At heart, All-Stars is just a reward for players who have spent their summers working to improve their game and become better baseball players.

It should be the greatest time of their young lives. They get to put on a nice, new uniform, hang out with their friends and spend days and nights playing their favorite game.

I mean, what could be better than that?

Unfortunately, All-Star tournaments always aren’t just fun and games.

There are usually some spoiled brats who act like babies when something doesn’t go their way.

They yell and complain to the umpire when a call goes against them or complain to the coach when they think he makes a bad decision.

No, I’m not talking about the players. They are always on their best behavior. I’m talking about the parents.

It’s been well documented that fan behavior at youth sporting events has gotten out of hand in the past few years.

A few years ago, Sports Illustrated dedicated an entire article about the rise of violence in youth sports.

In fact, Natchez Dixie Youth Coach Pitch Commissioner Brian Adams spent the bulk of a meeting with the players’ parents telling them to act like, well, adults.

I know that the vast majority of parents who attend youth games are good people who are there to support their children, which, as I’ve said in a previous colulm, is vitally important to the child’s well-being and self-esteem.

However, as with most things, it only takes one or two to ruin the day for everyone.

Everyone wants the best for their children, and no one wants to see them be robbed on a bad call or be substituted for late in the game.

But those things are going to happen, and some parents who think they are protecting their children go way too far.

A few years ago, there were a couple of fans at a youth baseball tournament I was umpiring at who didn’t like an interference call that was made by my umpiring partner.

They kept going on and on about the call until finally one of them made a derogatory remark about my fellow umpire, who then ejected the two men from the stands.

The men didn’t want to leave and one of them went nose to nose with the umpire through the chain link fence. The tension in the air was palpable.

Now tell me, is this any kind of atmosphere for 7-12-year-old children to play baseball in?

So when you go out to the park to watch your children or relatives, remember that it’s just a game.

There will probably be some questionable calls made by the umpires and you may not agree with a coach’s decision.

But the tournament is all about fun. I promise you that the kids are going to have fun regardless of what happens.

The bigger question is, are you?

Jeff Edwards is the sports editor of The Natchez Democrat. He can be reached at 601-445-3633 or jeff.edwards@natchezdemocrat.com.