The following story is an excerpt from Angry Kids, Frustrated Parents.

When Seth came up to bat in the bottom of the last inning, there were two outs and his team was behind 5-4. Seth was nervous. His teammate, Brad, was on third base, and Seth knew he had to get a hit to tie the score.

Seth's dad was nervous, too. This was the biggest game of the year, and as coach of Seth's team, he was proud of how his team had played. Now his son had a chance to be a hero.

The pitcher wound up and fired a fast ball down the middle. Seth swung and hit a hard grounder to the right side of the infield. The second baseman bobbled the ball, then threw to first base. The ball smacked into the first baseman's glove a half second before Seth's foot hit the base.

"You're out!" bellowed the umpire. Game over.

Seth's dad charged out of the dugout, heading straight for first base. The umpire stiffened, expecting the coach to argue the call. But the coach rushed past the umpire to Seth, put his arm around his son, and said, "That was a good hard hit and good hustle. You did your best and that's all you can do. We'll get them next time." Then he lined up his players to shake hands with the other team.

You probably expected a slightly different ending to this story. Perhaps you thought the coach would charge the umpire, kick dirt at him and scream in his face. Unfortunately, that type of scenario is becoming more commonplace than the sportsmanship shown by Seth's father.

As this summer's sports season gets into full swing, remember: Kids learn what they live.

Before you head out to the ball diamonds and soccer fields, take a few moments to ask yourself what kind of role model you want to be. Whether you like it or not, children of all ages pay attention to your behavior and hear your words. Setting a good example is one of the single most powerful ways you can teach children positive behaviors.

To learn more about how you can instill values in your children and become a better parent, check out these resources from Boys Town:

Parenting to Build Character in Your Teen
Common Sense Parenting
Skills for Families, Skills for Life