At soccer practice the other day there was a bit of a “kerfuffle” amongst the players. I saw none of it as I was not at the practice but the story/stories were relayed to me when practice was over. My son, the soccer player, told me he and some other players got angry at a teammate for purposely kicking another teammate in the head. My husband, the soccer coach, related to me that at the end of a play a player who should have known better stupidly and carelessly jumped over a fallen teammate, kicking him in the head in the process. The parent angrily informed me that all of the teammates ganged up against her child and she threatened to pull him from the team.
Three different stories and three different perspectives.
None of them wrong but none of them really right either. As I reflected upon this incident I realize that this is a teaching moment that is just too good to pass up. This is great stuff!! I now tell this soccer story during my introductory comments at mediations as a very simple real-life example of why dispute resolution services are so necessary. Mediation allows each party to share their very unique perspective in a safe environment. Once those stories and perspectives are shared and heard the parties can begin to step away from what they perceive as being the problem and begin working on a solution…