Golf's U. S. Open was played this past weekend at the Pebble Beach Golf Links in California. While neither of them won, much of the focus was on the world's two top professional golfers; Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Both men putted poorly during the first round on Thursday and their scores reflected it. Their reactions to the their on-course stuggles provide an example of the difference between the two men. Tiger blamed the greens, stating they were "awful." Phil used the world "awful" in reaction to his round as well, but it was in reference to the way he putted.
From my perspective Tiger Woods represents much of what is wrong with our culture. When things don't work out we want to blame others. When we find ourselves in trouble our first response is to look for someone else on whom we can place the blame on.
I saw it time and again during my years as a school counselor. When a student got in trouble, it was always someone elses fault. It was rare when they immediately assumed responsibility for their actions. The teachers were against them. The school had to many "stupid" rules. Their friends were doing the same thing and didn't get caught. Unfortunately parents often fell into the same trap. Attempts to discipline their child was met with resistence because it wasn't their fault.
All of us need to take ownership for our own actions. When we screw-up we need to admit it, and not blame others. As a parent, you need to get all the facts before jumping to a conclusion when your kids are accused of something. It's time to turn things around and stop the "American Blame Game."
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