We will start with the fact I was not a great, upstanding human being when I was a teenager.

I drank at an early age.

I smoked weed at an early age.

I got in trouble at school.

I fought in school.

I spent time in detention homes.

I never disrespected teachers, principals, referees, umpires, police men/women, fire fighters, or anyone older than me whether I was in the cities or the rural areas I lived in.

If I was doing wrong or bad things, or I was self-destructing, I did it to myself. Obviously, it wasn’t right, but I didn’t involve anyone, make life tough on anyone else directly, or be rude or ignorant to anyone who was underserving.

What is the deal in 2025.

Every day I see a young person disrespecting others or mistreating them whether its words, body language or actions.

At a 14U travel league baseball tournament (with teams from Beloit, Brookfield East, Elgin, and Joliet) in Rockford over the weekend, I had to boot two players for how they were acting or what they were saying.

I even did my due diligence as someone who understands the age and maturity level I was dealing with and gave warnings to the players and told the coaches what was going on.

The first eventually ejected player continued to stand outside of the fence during play when I warned twice not to, was in base runner paths consistently even after getting called for obstruction twice (he said they were bad calls and he wasn’t), talked on the field and in the dugout (yelled or screamed) while pitchers were in motion or the game was being played.

One of his teammates even told him to “shut up.”

The breaking point was when he was walking, yes walking, off of the field after a half inning at short stop and called two opponents explicits.

I heard half of the word and pointed, “You’re gone.” As he was walking away, he mumbled under his breath something about me. I didn’t hear the exact words.

Unfortunately, half of the battle or problem was the coaches didn’t say anything toward him at all. They let him act how he was and didn’t see a problem with it when I addressed the issue to them.

The second kid was, as the kids say, crashing out.

He was the starting pitcher and after the second or third inning, he was gassed and threw six or seven straight balls. After he walked in a run, he throws his glove as he is walking off of the mound and starts screaming, “It’s unfair.” He was talking about the opposition cheering for their teammate before and after his windup and pitch. He felt they weren’t quiet when he wanted them to be.

His tantrum continues with throwing his glove at the dugout fence, picking it up and throwing it in the dugout.

The coach looked at me and I just pointed.

The crash out continued as he starts screaming at both me and his coach, not nice words to either of us, runs toward the pavilion and flips over a trash can. He was then escorted out of the sports complex by the tournament director and a police man.

The coach of the crash out kid was better than the first coach in terms of knowing his kid was in the wrong, but didn’t do anything in terms of discipling or calming down his player before police officers did.

None of us are completely controllable, right? I understand that because I definitely wasn’t and in way different ways, I am not now.

But what is going on where there is zero respect, and no acknowledgement of direction or assistance adults are trying to give youth. They say and do whatever they want and then act like they did nothing wrong when they’re disciplined or told what they are doing.

Instead of adapting, changing, understanding they adult, they’re instantly defensive, using bad language, and show they don’t care at all what is being said to them.

I gave two sports examples, but I see it everywhere, outside of sports as well.

The other day at a grocery store, a teenager or young 20s female turned the corner and ran into an elderly woman’s grocery cart. The girl instantly looked at the older woman and said, ‘Why did you just hit me, you need to get out of my way.’ I personally thought the woman with the cart was going to have a stroke based on the look of disgust on her face.

There is no reason youth, or adults, need to be so hateful, so misunderstanding, and have zero understanding, patience, acknowledgement, or grace for others.

I’m definitely not saying every kid is like the ones I used as examples because there are plenty of others who are more polite and courteous than adults, which is an entirely other column.

We all need to treat each other like we want to be treated and find ways to mingle in a positive progression even in negative situations.

What we have going on right now is awful.

I hope moving forward, youth open their eyes and adults, all adults not just parents, help them in becoming better human beings.

During games, I’ll have a thought of not umpiring anymore after a not-so-great game or personalities. Then it comes back around, where I know I’m helping young kids, who some are like me when I was 12-14, and I’m giving back.