DEAR ABBY: We need help with our dad. Many of his grandchildren participate in sports. For some reason, he thinks it's perfectly fine to sit in the stands surrounded by people he doesn't know and loudly criticize the other players.
We talk to him before the games. We remind him that he's sitting by these players' parents and what he's doing is not cool. Some of the parents become quite emotional if things don't go well and Dad doesn't need to be doing this. Yet he continues.
Have you any ideas on getting Grandpa to keep his opinions to himself? We don't want to ban him from games and treat him like a 5-year-old who can't behave, since he is still able to travel to see us for these visits. We try to sit away from others, but it's not always possible. -- EMBARRASSED IN HOUSTON
DEAR EMBARRASSED: You already know the answer to your problem, and I do not understand why you haven't taken action. Was your father always this way, or has he become demented? When an adult acts like a 5-year-old and behaves inappropriately after having been cautioned against it, there is cause for concern.
If he is unable to control his behavior at those games, instead of being allowed to ruin them for everyone within earshot, he should absolutely be banned from attending. If you won't do it for the sake of the players and other parents, then do it for your father's safety because one of these days, an irate parent or relative may punch his lights out.