" If this shocks anyone then open your eyes and go watch some of these parents and the way they act at ALL the grade levels of any sport!!! Pathetic. Parents your kids are worth more than athletics....get over yourselves. "

" My, what wonderful parenting skills this lady(?) has. "

" Wow, some people need to grow up and you wonder why are kids are turning out like they are. "

" What kind of mother would do that? Anyone that does that should not be allowed to have children!! "

" Shocked? Have you never been to a H.S. sporting event? This woman's not the only bad parent out there. HOpefully her screw-up will shine a light on crazy parents at sporting events everywhere. "

" I'm a coach in Lincoln and this does not shock me at all. It seems that parents are trying to live through their children more and more and if their kids aren't the best, if they're not number one, someone will pay. I just want to say thanks to the parents that picked up the young women and did not take her to her mothers house. That took guts. Just let your kid play the game and have fun and remember that few are D-1 athletes. "

" Maybe parents shouldnt be allowed to watch their kids at sport activities anymore and maybe some of these parents will realize that it is a PRIVILEGE that their kids are playing sports and not sitting at home in front of the TV. "

" Leaving a child on the interstate because of a soccer game? She needs to have all her children taken away. "

" What a nice Mom.......real nice, and immature too. "

" What a sad story. This child could of been never seen again if she would happen to fall in the wrong hands along an interstate highway. Sad Sad Sad "

" what a loser mom "

" I umpire American Legion games and also do some little league games. Through my experiences, the younger the kids get, the worse the parents are. Some of the worst I've saw is 13-14 yr. old girls softball. It's ridiculous. "

" I'm always shocked at parents these days in regards to their children's activities and their expectations. This is just another example. I once overheard parents at my dentist's office talking about how their kids need to keep practicing every day to be as good as Mia Hamm, and when their girls came out of the back they were just little kids. I was shocked at the pressure they were talking about putting on them at that age. This is just another example, I hope that girl quits soccer. It obviously can't be fun for her any more, and parents should take note, kids participate in sports for FUN, not scholarships, take away the fun and the kid won't want to do the sport at all any more and that's just sad. "

" That woman should have her head examined - literally; she should be required to take psychological counseling before regaining custody of her daughter and any other children she may have. The girl undoubtedly needs counseling, too, to regain a sense of self-worth after such treatment by a parent. I'm hoping she has a friend with a stable home life who is able to welcome her into their family fold for the remaining high school years for this girl. My heart goes out to her, as she in no way deserves such a thing to happen. "

" Okay, Mom! Give it up. Is your daughter in soccer for you or for her? Shame on you. You will regret this all of your life. Daughter, leave Mom at home next time. Go with a teammate to the match. And don't talk soccer with her. "

" I guess I'm glad I'm not a kid today. How terrible would that be, to have 'repeat lines about improving her performance' and then get abandoned on the interstate? This kid is living in a personal hell, and my heart goes out to her and all children who are in this kind of situation. "

" Being a soccer Dad, I am embarrased at this women's actions. Please don't bunch all of us parents with this woman, as long as we have been in soccer, I have only seen one parent that would compare to this loser mom. "

" i am in no way agreeing with what this woman did, but i'm sure she is feeling horrible now. as well she should, i suppose. as the mom of a teenage daughter, i feel a little bad for her. nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. i'm sure she learned a hard lesson on saturday. "

" This is HS sports. Why all the competition and pressure to win? This is where students will learn how to lose gracefully, teamwork, and respect. A parent who does not support this and tries to teach winning at all costs is doing their child a HUGE disservice by taking the real lessons in the sport away. Now anytime this young lady fails at anything she will only feel that slap in the face. To bad....to that teenager, hang in there. Once your are 18 go to college and live your own life!! Hang in there!! "

" This lady should be punished to the full letter of the law but why bury the sports parent? This is bad parenting and although soccer was the trigger, these two probably have alot more issues than sports. This mom may have spent thousands of dollars and hours of the families time catering to this girl's desire to play a sport at a high level. The girl then might have chosen to let down an entire team of girls that are dedicated to doing their best. She may have wasted the time of all the other families that are sacrificing their time and money so their kids can play at a competitive level. A kid that has no desire to play sports is not going to go through all it takes to play at a select level if they are being forced to do it. Thats why there is competitive and recreational leagues. You play in the recreational leagues if you just want to play for fun. Most of you that complain about sports parents probably don't ask much of your children in anything that they do for fear of the disappointment if they fail. I always notice that the people that make these arguments are not very good at sports and do not understand what it takes to be good at them. If you don't like sports then I understand your bewilderment but its no different than me thinking it is an absolute waste of time for most children to learn to play the clarinet. There are just as many pathetic whiners in this forum than most sports contests. This lady may have made a 15 year old girl throwing a fit walk home and now she is a child abuser? She definitely made a horrible choice but being disappointed in the behavior of a child and how to change that behavior is nothing new. It's amazing that none of you have never made a mistake. "

" No, there is a big difference between merely being disappointed with a child's athletic performance, and risking a child's life because they don't meet some outrageously high expectations. To defend what this lady did because the girl may have let her team down, you are legitimizing the mother's actions! I don't care who this girl let down, wins...losses...they don't mean spit when it comes to REAL life. Yes, you want your kids to try hard and dedicate themselves their chosen activities...but to punish them because she couldn't recite some stupid phrase while her mother had her fearing for her life??? Give me a damn break! This is child abuse...there have been too many kids disappear, never to be seen again. This mom deserves to be in jail, and the daughter deserves a better parent...one who loves her for the person she is, not for who THEY want her to be. "

" This mom needs to be thankful that her daughter is physically and mentally able to participate in sports; most don't realize how many children would give anything to be able to play sports,but arent able... "

" P. Robert, are you serious?? This wasn't making a teenage girl "throwing a fit walk home" ... she was left at an interstate rest area!! Was the mom going to drive down to the next exit then turn around and come back? Who knows ... but this was at the very least neglect if not abuse and this parent should be legally forced to attend counseling and be put on some kind of probation. There is NO excuse for treating a child in that way. "

" We used to coach YMCA rec league soccer, and we had overzealous parent-fans too. And that was just rec league. People are living miserable, unfullfilling lives and are living vicariously thru their successful child. Not to mention the fact that parents think they will be able to live off an athletically successful child in the future, thanks to the exhorbitant salaries paid to professional athletes. This parent needs to take a course in anger management, and then not attend athletic events ever again. A parent never, under any cicrumstances, pulls over on the INTERSTATE and kicks a child out of the vehicle. This woman's name should be made public to embarass the hell out of her. I bet she is a nice church-going lady who has everyone fooled. I understand the need to protect the child tho. Poor kid. Hopefully she has a level-headed father. "

" This just goes back to my theory on the need for a licensing law for breeding. "

" I feel sorry for both the parent and the child. Hopefully time will heal. We have too many club teams based on who can afford the time and resources. High School coaches are recruiting baseball players 12 years old and younger to come to their schools. Kids hear they have no chance of making a high school team unless they have been involved in club sports. This is a complex issue which will eventually ruin the recreational and participant levels. See Jackie Robinson article. Ego and greed have no bounds. Oh, I played the clarinet and am a former college athlete. "

" Leaving a child on the INTERSTATE is not a little thing, and sports are supposed to be fun. Yes, you can work hard at something to improve yourself - but that should be a personal decision. Not one forced by your parents. "

" I feel so bad for the girl here...she's going to be so embarassed. I can't imagine going through life knowing that your mother thinks you can't do anything right and then dumps you off on a busy interstate. LOSER!!!! "

" You know I have a teenager who pushes my buttons as often as she can. I would never leave her anywhere just because she was arguing with me in the vehicle. I take her home and send her to her room and remove a priviledge or two when appropriate. I have taught my children to do the best they can and never chide them for "not doing enough". This mom made a very bad choice for her daughter and put her in harms way. I am sure she realizes that now and is probably very sorry that this happened. I bet she will be a better mother from now on and make better choices in parenting her child. I sympathize with both she and her daughter, they have a lot of healing to do. "

" After posting my comment earlier and thinking about this story some more, I think the best use of everyone's energy is not to blame the mother (that's easily done) but really to ask ourselves what we as a society stand for. The system, as it stands, is clearly broken--parents are stretched to the breaking point with all the pressures of work and family, and children spend most of their lives in day cares and after-school programs so parents can work. Once that's over, they're all overscheduled with activities, or else glued to a TV or Xbox. No wonder everyone is losing their minds! Slow down people! "

" Yes sports are to be fun and what is more fun than winning!!! If you have not been involved in sports at a competative level and do not have a teenage daughter then what do you know. I think the mother did the responsible thing by putting out a mouthy teenager so she could concentrate on her driving. Who knows, she may have saved may lives that day. It's the bleeding heart parent who picked the kid up that should be charged for interfering in the lives of others. What is the world coming to when you cannot yell, beat and force your child out to a busy interstate. Just sounds like some tough love. If you are upset then you must have all the facts as I am sure this article gives them all. "

" I smell a mother of the year candidate "

" I applaud the LJS for not publishing the names. I would advocate that the names never be publish in cases involving victims who are minors. That the LJS "elected not to run the mother’s or teenager’s names" makes me think that the decision to print or not to print is discretionary and arbitrary. If so, that's only a short step from it being capricious and based on considerations other than journalistic need, common courtesy, and good sense. "

" Shocked? I'm shocked at the girl's performance. If she had performed to her mother's expectations, there wouldn't even have been a problem. "

" This girl was obvously not performing to standards. The mother had to get the message through. Sounds like the kid is a crybaby. A good walk should clear the mind. "

" I feel sorry for both of them. how do we know what the girl was saying to her mom? the way alot of kids talk to their parents is absolutely horrible. listen to the way some talk to their parents and you will know. I know of some kids who talk to their parents probably hearing what the dad or the mom has said that back when discipline was discipline that had I called my parents these names or talked to them like that I still would not be able to sit. parents get a grip on your kids and teach them a lesson on repect just don't leave them in a position that can be even more harmful. I too have helped coach sports and more often than not it is the parents who make most of the trouble at games or even practices because they think their child was not played as much or a bad call was made or in my case one of kids was such a disruption in practice we sat him out and his dad was furious.we told him to get a grip on your kid and then he can play. in some towns when you sign your child up to play a sport the parents have to sign up for good sportsman classes before the child can play. if you don't attend your kid doesn't play. the level of sports has gone way beyond the level of fun. recruiting at that level should stop because it will help the child to develop more naturally without all of the stress and help them more mentally and get better grades. last but not least are we as parents pushing our children in the wrong way just for bragging rights at work or social events ? think about how nice it might be to stand back and say, my what a nice person we are raising. regardless of their athletic talent. "

" A 15 year old girl dumped off on the interstate with all the other crazies out there? Hopefully the law will do something to this woman and not just give her a slap on the hand.Seems like someone has to die before something is done. "

" Maybe the girl was dogging it. In team sports, your only as strong as your weakest link. As my father told me, "TEAMWORK: Much can be accomplished when no one is concerned about who gets hurt." Maybe the girl will try harder so she won't hurt her team or her family legacy. "

" Who's the adult? Drop them off at the side of the Interstate? I hope you people that stated that don't have kids. And I certainly hope you are never around my children. Sad thing is - at my son's U9 soccer games I can, unfortunately, imagine some of the parents saying/doing crap like that. "

" It is one thing to want your child to do well in their athletic events. We all want our children to excel. That is natural. It is entirely another to berate them, slap them, or ridicule them for poor performance. After all, they are just children, and it is just a game. The concept of working together are far more important than winning or losing. It is parents such as this that make many athletic events unbearable. As the father of 2 teenagers I have always asked them to do their best in everything they do. Not all children are star athletes. But they can still shine. "

" Well the girl did tell the mom to pull over. When I told my parents that I was going to run away, they showed me the door and then I ended up sitting on the step for a while feeling stupid. My mom slapped me and my dad spanked me. All of it was deserved. I still hear from people today how well behaved I was. I knew to mind my parents and it helped me become who I am today. If my parents took away an hour of television instead of actually punishing me, who knows how I would have ended up. So to the parents out there, you have to make your children mind you. I don't know that my parents would have pulled the car over on I-80 if I asked them to but if it were anywhere else in town, they would have done so hoping to teach me a hard learned lesson. I am not saying the whole parent sport thing is not out of hand but cmon, there was a large shooting today, I think anger problems between a daughter and a mother should not make the news. If anything good can come out of this, it should be that parents know it's ok to try and get thier kids to live out what they missed on. It's all because the parents love and care anyway. What's not ok is that parents forget the entire reason they want thier kid to do good in soccer or football or whatever it may be. Parents need to stop and think why they want thier kid to suceed in whatever it may be, reflect on that reason and then decide how to take care of a problem. If this is done, the parents my most likely not be so hard on thier own children. "

" My son played Little Chiefs ball a few years ago and some of those parents were terrible. I pulled my son out. Life is too short for that kind of competition. Also what are we teaching our kids? It's a game. Get a grip. Stay home if it bothers you that your kids isn't the star. Happy Mother's Day.... "

" I WAS a teenage daughter who participated in competitive sports and sure winning was fun but not the most important thing in the world. My mother attended all my activities to SUPPORT me and never once demeaned me for losing or not being the best on the team. Can you even be serious in your comments about "what has the world come to when you can't yell, beat or force your kid out onto a busy interstate?" I sure hope you don't have kids! Your comments are appalling at the least. But I suppose the 15 year old girl deserved to be kidnapped, raped, murdered or hit by a car speeding along at 80 mph because she messed up a stupid chant her mother wanted her to say. Because that is the reality of the world we live in. That mother should be ashamed. "

" Maybe the parents should play a game...then we can see how "good" they play....think they could play any better ? "

" Yep, this is one of the parents that drives around with a sticker in that back window that says "ooo, look at me, I have a daughter or son in cheerleading, soccer or football and I have to advertise my son Zach #41 or daughter Lindsey #12 and preten they are better than your kid". Parents, grow up!! It is not about you or trying to make your kid famous, it is about giving a kid a decent childhood. Get over it!! "

" I was an all-state athlete as a sophomore through my senior year in high school. As a freshman my father (after getting all-state runner up) asked my why I didn't make first team. Nothing was ever good enough for him. I was a straight A student. Worked my butt off farming in the summers, and rarely even had a minor disagreement with my parents. It has taken almost 20 years for my father and I to have a good relationship. If you are ASSUMING the girl did something to deserve this you might be right, but don't bet on it, you might also be very wrong. "

" I am not a soccer mom and can not comment on the rage parents feel when their teens don't play well. I can however relate to what it is like to have a foul mouthed out of control teen ager in my car. I would not leave a kid in an unsafe place like an interstate but I have left my kid a mile from home on a country road. I was in the car listening to this kid direct the "F" word at me and call me "B" and screaming and yelling. This kid seriously needed fresh air. He was not appropriate to be at home or in my car. I left him in the country to walk a mile. He was safe and the exercise helped him calm down. I do not regret my action one bit. I felt safer for making this choice and I was also protecting my other children from his rage. Would I do it again? Absolutely. "

" I forgot about a little conversation I had this weekend with a progessional hitting coach from California at the UNL softball games this weekend. Seems he got quite a chuckle out of the once a year parent vs. daughters game while they were playing travel ball. I think this should be a requirement if your kid is going to play sports. "

" I was a victim of similar parental expectations gone overboard.My infliction was music.Play or pay!!Takes the fun out of it which really screws performance. "

" I have a 15 yr old daughter...and two sons, both into adulthood now...and BTW, a 4 yr old daughter as well... Not one of them have I ever abandoned on the side of the road for talking back to me...but then again, there have been times (very few I might add) where they have tested me to the limits..but I can guarantee you, it was NEVER over sports or competing in anything. I have backed them up in every endeavor they chose to take on. When they hit the point of 'it isn't for me' then we let that go and move on to a new endeavor. All my children are smart, well-adjusted kids who stay out of trouble and hang with the right crowds. I thank God daily for entrusting them to me. I don't know where I would be without them today! I grew up in a society where spanking was a way of life for a bad deed. Most of you reading this did too. It has only been recently that disciplining children does not involve spanking. And for the record, I have rarely raised a hand to my children, but when they needed it, they got a swat on the butt to get their attention! The mother in this story is probably feeling her regrets for the moment of bad decision. We all have those moments. Hopefully she has learned from her mistakes and will move on to make them no-more. If violence is a way of life for this family, I pray they all get the help they need to stop it now. Just remember all you judges out there...you are not sin-free either. "

" Some of the posters here really scare me and its no wonder there are runaway kids, pregnant teens, self-medicating kids, to list a few. So many parents seem to forget THEY are in charge of putting up solid, impenetrable boundaries for their children. Kids feel secure when it's known that neither they nor their parents will break the boundary. Boundaries produce responsible kids. Leaving a 15 yr.old on the interstate is a parent being irresponsible and breaking the boundary. Punishment should match the misbehavior. "

" Wow!!! Parenting takes a turn for the worse....I do not feel sorry for this mother whatsoever! Dealing with a 15 year old girl maybe difficult at times. I know; I have a 17 and 18 year old. But understanding that this woman has to be at least 20 years older then this girl, she should have enough sense to know that she was the ADULT in this situation and that she was the one that needed to be in control. Understanding how this mother has reacted to this situation, it is likely that her child has the same behavior type; however, being the adult in the situation is obviously something that she was unable to distinguish. If my kid told me to pull over on the interstate, I would have enough common sense to know I'm the one in charge and that she is not making the decisions. If that mother didn't want her out of that car, she wouldn't have told her to get out, nor would she have driven away. Hellicopter parents are the worse when it comes to sports because the hover. They are all over their kids about the sport and continuely questioning the coach on their decisions. If a parent insist on being that involved, they should get their coaching license and coach their kids team. What this all boils down to is teaching your children from an early age that anger and aggression is not something that is acceptable and you do this by setting a good example. This mother is a good case of doing the opposite of that. She should have known better and no one should make excuses for her. "

" I'm hoping the best thing that comes out of reporting this story is that people step back and take a look at their conduct at these sporting events. I would be scared to be a coach now days and thank you to those who volunteer to do so. It can be difficult dealing with parents/specators who feel their kid isn't playing enough/ "

" I suppose, if the teenager's head was spinning around in circles as she spewed vomit all over the place, I might tell her to get out and drive off too. Otherwise, a difficult teen does not warrant exposing her to the sexual predators who are likely cruisng the Interstate highway system at all times day and night. There are many words for parents who are capable of such a "mistake", and most of them are similar in meaning to idiot, moron, and imbecile. Good Grief! "

" Something just doesn't seem right about this story...obviously we are hearing the daughters side, about the yelling and slapping. I just can't believe that the mother would have admitted to that (even if she had done it). Officer Finnell states that it happened. Not allegedly happened. Did the mother confess to that behavior? If she did then certainly she deserves the scorn and opinions posted here, but what if she didn't? and police and CPS just took the word of the daughter? Can't girls be difficult to raise at 15? Things have changed drastically where parental rights and credibility are concerned. It's not like it was when I was young (and i'm just 37). CPS is needed, don't get me wrong, but sometimes their unchecked power reminds me of the salem witch hunters, and this story just doesn't give me enough information to make an informed opinion. Why don't some of you question what you read instead of being sucked into the stream of sensationalized media? "

" My dad did the same sort of stuff as I was growing up. All it did was make me hate organized sports. "

" No matter what was said between the two of them, if mom was putting too much pressure on her daughter, no matter if this 15 year old girl was mouthing off to mom, or if she was behaving in an unsportsmanline manner, there is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this mother to just dump her kid off at the side of the interstate. She should be ashamed. "

" How about opening up your eyes to the fact that this state only promotes the "GO BIG RED" and the mentality that goes along with that!!! So why are you so suprised at a parent that is yelling at their kid and doing such a thing. All those parents should be ashamed of themselves acting like such idiots! Take a look at what kids have to look up to in this state when it comes to sports!!! "

" Young people of today go through so much peer pressure like life is susposed to be that way. Mom needs therapy badly and her daughter will need that also. Hopefully she gets help for the two of them before long. "

" I think the mother needs to GET A LIFE. It's just a game, not life or death. No wonder kids get burned out with sports so early with the parents living their dreams through their kids. This puts some Little League parents that are immature idiots to shame. "

" Wow, I can't wait to have kids so I can live through them to make up for my athletic shortcomings. "

" Hey parents!! Teams have coaches for a reason. Let the coach do the coaching and you, the parents, sit on the sidelines and cheer on your team. "

" We definitely aren't getting the whole story here because the Omaha news says that the mother pulled over and told her daughter to get out, not that the girl told the mom to pull over. It also says that the Mom said she had been stressed out "and just snapped". Nice Mom, way to control your tempter. Try yoga instead of child neglect next time you are stressed out. "

" And you wonder why "Soccer Moms" deserve so much grief! "

" Looking back to my high school days (I am about ready to graduate from college), I wish I never had done any sports. I think there is too much emphasis on being good at sports and not other things. I"m here to tell you that me being able to hit a softball got me nowhere....being State FFA President has gotten me a lot further. All I have to say to parents kids who emphasis sports is get over it. There is so much more to life than scoring points. "

" I'm not shocked...just disgusted. Don't lock mom up...that just deprives the daughter further. Give her a ton of community service, a stiff fine, and plenty of counseling. But if she does anything like this again...jail-time. "

" The first issue I'd like to address is the idea that this mom was in the right b/c her daughter was mouthing off. Ok, it doesn't say in the article that that's what happened, but assuming that, as teenagers do, that the girl was being disrespectful in some way, the mom is still wrong here. You don't let your child out of the car to walk home on the interstate. You just don't. Many posters are using the word "mistake". "The mom made a mistake". Please, guys! A "mistake" is forgetting a PTA meeting. Our society is truly becoming a place where we all get to yell "I just made a mistake, I'm sorry!" and it's supposed to make it better. Forget it. The mom didn't make a "mistake". The mom showed complete lack of maturity, judgement and ability to control a temper and keep a cool head. As parents, that is our UTMOST responsibility! This is why WE are parents. It is OUR job to be mature, make good decisions and keep our cool. Is it hard? Absolutely. I have a three year old mildly autistic son and there are times I want to yank out my hair and scream at the top of my lungs. But I don't take it out on him because I'm the mom and it's my job to act like one! I also have two other sons who are not teenagers, but not far off and they test me to my limits often as well. But again, it is MY job, not theirs, to handle their discipline appropriately and safely and not lose my cool to the point where I am putting them in harm's way. You just don't have that option when you become a parent. Period. The other thing I'd like to address is the sports thing, since this seems to be the other issue that has gotten everyone all stirred up. Where I live, it is the thing to have your child enrolled not only in sports, but zillions of other activities as well. My oldest child is seven and many of his peers are playing baseball, soccer and enrolled in "enrichment camps" all at the same time. There is no time for just plain old being a kid. Some of his friends can play competitive soccer like an all star, skate like a hockey pro or make a perfect lay up, yet can't ride a bike because they never have a chance to get outside and act like a kid. I was at the gym the other morning and I heard a mom saying to another mom that she had to have a serious talk with her five year old that day because he'd told her he only wanted to go to baseball practice that day and not soccer and violin too. Seriously! The kid is FIVE! And I have to admit, it is easy to get drawn into this. I was panicked a few days ago because I realized I'd missed the deadline for baseball sign ups and all my son's friends were signed up for baseball and we were scrambling around trying to figure out if he could still do it. And then I realized this morning that I'd never even asked my son if he wanted to play baseball. I'm glad I had that realization because I did ask him and he said no because he was already doing soccer. So that's what I mean about it's our job to be level headed and mature and get over ourselves. It's not about us anymore. I did have to laugh at whomever posted the comments about the stickers all over the cars. It is such a status symbol these days, isn't it? "

" I'm with Robin (April 17, 8:39 a.m.)! Let the parents play the game while the kids watch. "

" Don't quite understand how some commenters are advocating feeling bad for the mother... She should be charged with child neglect. Not only did she hit her child out of anger, she abandoned her on a highway. This is not, in any way, acceptable parenting, and it's not "just a mistake". Just a mistake is getting angry and yelling at your child for not doing her best. Hitting her and endangering her is criminal. "

" As I read the story, and your comments, I had to sit back and look at this from many angles. I'm currently an official in four different sports, and at various levels, and have been a coach at one time or another in several different sports, and at various different levels. I have also been an athlete participating at various different ages. I am also a parent. I will come out and say this at the beginning: what the mother did was reprehensible, yes, however, the daughter needs to learn to talk WITH her mother, not BACK at her. I've actually ejected a kid from a Y basketball game because he called his dad a "f**ker" for getting ejected by me over a call (and this was a kindergarten level game!). I had a confrontation with an upset dad after a 14 and under baseball game over a call on his son (that supposedly cost the team a game!) to the point that I had to call 911 and report the jerk. What did his son do? Call me every name in the book for trying to get his dad written up by the cops. I actually got suspended for one game as a basketball coach because a parent didn't like the way I benched his son (high school level). After a few turnovers, I think any coach would have benched the kid and told him off. I will admit I lost my cool at the kid, and told him to sit his sorry a** down at the end of the bench and not even come near me the rest of the game, but mom was upset that I wasn't giving him a second chance! Now, with all of these rememberances, and looking at the events in the world at this time (including the Virginia Tech shootings yesterday), I think EVERYONE needs to chill out, and let this family take their lumps and punishments, etc., and move on. I think what this mother and daughter needs is a good, long, solitary weekend at a lake doing some fishing, or in a forest, just camping and having a campfire every night, and just chat about what is good in their lives. Matter of fact, I think EVERY parent needs to do something like that in their lives. "

" There are all sorts of theories about what happened and whose at fault, but how big of a deal is this? People call this 15 year old is a "child" who shouldn't be left alone and was completely helpless. If this were an 8 year old, there would clearly be a problem. In other stories, 15 year olds are perfectly capable babysitters, stupid people who should know better than to drink or have sex or misbehave, the person responsible for preparing your food at the mall, etc. I would be surprised if this "child" was anything more than angry at her mom for yelling at her after the whole thing was over. "

" That the "daughter needs to learn how to talk to her mother," or that "she might have let her teammates down," or any of the other sillyness expressed on this blog totally misses the point. The mother shouldn't have let her daughter off along the interstate, period. Secondary to that issue, but still important, is that a parent shouldn't pressure their kid to that extent about something like sports. Saying it is competitive versus recreational doesn't excuse the mom's behavior. This is an example of misplaced priorities. "

" The mother needs community service, anger management, parenting classes, and FIFTY laps around the school's athletic field while her daughter drives next to her in a golf cart SCREAMING at her through a megaphone to "GO FASTER...THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH...YOU'RE NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH!" at her at the top of her lungs. Then, the coach of the team needs to ban that mother from the practices. The daughter DEFINITELY needs counseling to get through this issue. I don't care WHAT a kid is doing, you do NOT leave them on an interstate! According to the story, the mother SLAPPED her for messing up lines?? HUH?? WHAT? This mother has some SERIOUSLY messed up parenting skills and I hope she never gives birth again. Let's all hope she doesn't have any other kids to mess up! "

" Satire isn't just a 6 letter word beginning with "s" folks. "

" This mother should thank the good Lord above that her daughter can play sports and is not riddled with a physical, mental disability or both. I know people who have children that will never play volleyball, basketball, soccer much less even get out of their wheelchairs. This is very sad. We try to teach our kids to be kind to others, to not bully others and then you get the few parents that actually bully their own children. Personally, I don't think parents should even put the pressure on their kids to do any kind of competitive activities while in grade school, middle school or even high school unless the child expresses their own interest in it. If their child chooses to not participate in it anymore then FINE! My daughter was in track for one day and said she had had enough. I was fine with it. Chill out people! "

" My daughter and I would like to offer her a new home in Atlanta. We participate in sports, soccer is one of them. We promise to be her biggest cheerleaders and if she flubs, well, then you only get one hot fudge sundae. "

" The issue is not about a soccer game but rather a stupid parent that needs her ears boxed by her parents for what she did to their grand-daughter. Do you readers understand this solution? "

" I got so sick to my stomach just reading this article. I grew up playing soccer and I would've just died if my mom would've treated me like that ESPECIALLY embarassing me infront of my teammates!!! "SOME PEOPLE" just SHOULDN'T have kids I'm in my 20's and all I have to say is if I think you're a poor excuse for a parent then that's pretty SAD! I don't care if she sat in the middle of the field and didn't give one once of effort - NO ONE deserves to be treated like that! I'm so upset at what SOME PARENTS think will be a "learning experience" for their kids. I'm sure the girl's getting in even more trouble now from her mom nowthat we've all commented and drawn even more attention to this. IF that's the case - I sure hope the mom reads this and listens to a "youngsters" advise: Middle School and High School are probably the hardest times to be secure with yourself, so give your daughter the respect that you would want...would you want her leaving you on the side of the road and driving away...WELL I sure hope she returns the favor when your 80 and YOU rely on her to escort YOU around! "

" I don't care who you are or what you say..that girl should have never been left on the side of a highway! She is a girl! Maybe she did get mouthy with her mom, we don't know that. But if she did can you really blame her? Come on if someone was yelling at you since Omaha about what a bad soccer player you were wouldn't you lose your temper to??? IT'S A GAME, GET OVER IT MOM! Heck, that mother shouldn't even be able to call herself a mother. I don't care how upset with your kids you get, you don't leave them in a dangerous situation! "

" What a disgusting incident. Why wasn't the woman charged with child abuse or assault for slapping the girl? "

" Yet another contributing factor in why children are shooting up schools these days. WAKE UP AMERICA!! Stop damaging your children! "

" I think it is safe to say she won't be getting the mother of the year award this year.... "

" One of the most important things one should learn from sports is sportsmanship, including winning and losing gracefully. Having a role model such as their own, or other parent set bad examples will be something that children will remember and possibly follow. This is a sad example for all involved. "

" You people need to get over yourselves. She was fifteen! Not 10. I see 15 year olds walking aroung late at night hanging out, riding in cars, at the mall, at the lake and they are with no..count em..no.."adults". She's fine and she was going to be fine. Could something have happened? Yes. But that holds true not matter what she is doing...she's not locked in a box and she did tell her mother to pull over...I don't recall the story saying the mom threw her out...do any of you? As many of you on here have stated, there are much bigger things..the daughter is fine and none of you will hear from her about what really happened because she has more important things to worry about right now..like not being embarassed. To the people who are "outraged"...try to live in the "real" world for a while...things this small in nature might not be that shocking. "

" If the kid would have put out the effort she was capable of,and not embarassed her family,this never would have happened. "

" So what if the daughter told her mom to stop the van...the alleged adult (mom) is supposed to be in control of the vehicle...she was not required to stop the vehicle just because the daughter told her to...but she did. The mother then went on to order her daughter out of the car, then drove off. If she's going to claim to be an adult in this world, she needs to act like one. The mother's actions were childish and immature. "

" "Lived up to expectations." "Old enough to be by herself." "Mouthy teenager." Um, how do *WE* know that the girl didn't give her best effort? For all we know, she gave her best effort, but it wasn't good enough for Mom. We can't make that judgment call. As for being old enough to be on her own, she was left at an INTERSTATE rest area! It's one thing if she was left a mile from home and had to walk on sidewalks to get home. How was she supposed to get home from a rest area? Walk alongside the freeway? Gee, that's safe. And who knows what kind of sicko would have found her. Fifteen *is* still a child. That's why 15 year-olds can't vote, can't drink, can't smoke, can't drive, and, in most states, under the age of consentual sex. I don't care how mouthy your kid is, you don't SLAP her! As the mother, she should have shut her OWN mouth and waited until arriving home to further discuss the issue, if road safety was a factor. "

" its incredible what happens when some parents find out that sometimes their child doesnt outshine all the rest and is simply "normal" or "average" "

" So what if the child told her mom to pull over? Well I guess the answer to that would be her mom pulled over. And why does it matter that is was an INTERSTATE and not the highway or in town? If it was a rest area, how was she found by someone she knew? She had access to a phone so really calm down. Oh that's right...none of you have done something in which you regret. What bubble do you live in Meg, who said 15 year olds can't drive, drink, smoke, etc.. Would you be shocked to find out that a lot of them do? Probably huh. This is not Disney Land. It's real life with real problems. The sooner people learn to deal with them the better. Saying this should have never happened is everyone's way of saying, they know it does, they don't believe it should, there's nothing that can be done about it, so rather then accept it and understand it, you complain and point fingers. What good does that do? Nothing. Good would be saying, I understand how this could happen, here's what I do in that situation and so forth. To the people are opposed to slapping thier kid IF they were being mouthy. How many kids do you know that are mouthy? Do you know any who are punished by being slapped or spanked? Bet they are not too mouthy. You guys wish the mom would not have done this act and I whish that most people would not be so naive. "

" In some states, the charge would be reckless endangerment and the mother would be arrested not just ticketed. She should be required to enroll in an anger management course and see a psychiatrist. "

" Hey, I was at that game, that girl played awful. Her mom was right. Do you know how many years her mom has trudged back and forth from one field to another to give this girl a chance? She shouldn't have stopped and let her out on the freeway. She should have never let her in the car if she is going to embarras her mom like that out in public. Make her walk all the way home. "

" Wow...this post is like the game telephone. No where in the article does it say anything about a rest stop and the article does specifically state that her mother slapped her. Who cares how she played!!! She is not getting paid for it. It's not life or death to do amazing in a game. The mother is the ADULT AND SHE SHOULD HAVE ACTED LIKE ONE! I dont care if she drove to Califonia and back just so this girl could play soccer, no mother in her right mind should have ever left their child of any age or anyone for that matter on the side of a busy interstate. People wake up! I hope all of the mom supporters don't have kids because I'm sure it is torture having you as a parent. Lets just hope that you aren't breeding evil little spons that will be just like you in the future. If you want to be respected you have to gain respect. It's a two way street and last I checked no parent carries the title of God behind their name! "

" The problem with involving the police is that the mother will never learn her lesson. It would have been much better if the people who picked the girl up offered her a place to stay for a couple days without mom being informed of where she was. While I usually don't recommend not telling mom where their kid is; this mother needs to spend a little while doing the ty