Its called a kiss and cry box for a reason, ice skating is full of drama. Some you expect, some hits you like a mack truck. The community of figure skating is small and judging by what I have seen, more then a little willing to spread some good gossip. So here are my (somewhat) helpful tips:
1. Never ever ever tell another parent what you think the rankings should be, especially don't do this before the rankings are posted, unless of course you want to say "that was a first place performance". Really this should be common sense but it happens all the time. A group of little kids will get done performing and some Einstein sitting next to you will just announce how the placings should be. Unless you are judging that competition, zip it. Nerves are high and your comments are unneeded.
2. Never tell another parent that your child is being discriminated against. Especially don't do this is your child does not fit into a federally recognized protected class.
3. Stop berating your kid. If you need to scream at the rink to your little kid then it is probably time to go home. Seriously - get some perspective.
4. Stay away from the gossip. Trust me on this one, you need to be a silent Switzerland.
5. Be nice in the dressing room. If someone forgot their hairspray, share yours. Karma will reward you either way.
6. Don't degrade your coaches in public or to your child in private. You pay a lot of money for an expert, if you don't like what your getting - change but otherwise talk directly to the coach.
7. Don't stay with a coach that degrades your child in public.
8. Take a deep breath and have some fun.
9. Make a budget and try to stick to it. I use a spreadsheet to track how much I spend every month. Its a lot and it makes me physically ill to think how much is spent, but I would spend more if I did not keep track. Every day there are opportunities to spend even more money. If your not careful you will burn out your skater and need to file for bankruptcy.
10. Its okay to say no.
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