Kids jumping off the diving board at the pool.

The mouth-watering smell of barbecue.

Parents yelling insults at their children and at each other during an athletic event.

It just wouldn’t be summer without seeing two grown men go toe-to-toe screaming obscenities at each other on a ballfield full of children.

As far as role models go, parents are probably still the number one influence on their kids.

And there’s no better way to show your child how to have a civilized argument than by shoving the opposing coach while debating whether an 11-year-old caught a fly ball.

Or how about the coaches who teach the kids to slide into a base with their spikes up, aimed at the fielder, if they were hit by a pitch?

Or the youth football coaches who instruct their players to “take out” a member of the opposing team?

We’re not talking about college athletes or even high schoolers. These kids are still three or four years away from a driver’s license.

And let’s not forget about the dad who screams at his 10-year-old son or daughter during the entire game.

It seemed that every sport I played there was always at least one dad who had no problem criticizing his child for every poor play and missed opportunity.

It’s probably no coincidence that not a single one of those kids played the sport very long.

Of course, the ones who get it the worst are the umpires and referees.

Here are young men and women, usually no older than 16 or 17 years old. They certainly are not out there for the pay. For the most part, they’re out there because they love the game.

These kids put up with more shouting and harassing than John Rocker on a subway in New York.

They are mocked, ridiculed, insulted and taunted.

Why?

Because a parent thought their child was safe at second base.

Or there should have been pass interference. Or there was a no call on a handball in the penalty box. And when a fight breaks out between parents, it’s the umpire who has to go break it up.

They can’t vote for the president or buy cigarettes, but it’s up to umps and refs to calm down overzealous parents.

Then there are those coaches and parents who take it to an all-new level. In July of 1999, Ray Knight, a former Major League baseball player, was charged with simple battery, disorderly conduct and fighting in a public place.

He had a heated and obscenity-laced argument with a father from the opposing team during a 12-year-old girls softball game.

After 15 minutes of arguing, Knight allegedly punched the man in the head.

Or how about falsifying a birth certificate, so your 14-year-old child can enter a league designated for kids two years younger than him?

You think it was Danny Almonte’s idea to fraud the Little League World Series?

His father is now facing criminal charges in the Dominican Republic for his involvement in the controversy.

You name the sport, there has probably been an arrest of a violent or fraudulent parent in the past three years.

The father of a 10-year-old hockey player was charged with manslaughter after he allegedly beat another father to death after an argument.

Witnesses say the man was pummeled to death in front of his three children.

The two men had been arguing about how much violence was tolerable during the hockey game.

Soon, if we’re not already, many of us will be parents and coaches. Remember to keep in mind that it is only a game and that they are just kids.

It is up to the parents and coaches to teach their players about sportsmanship and about respect for the other person.

Is it really that big a deal when the referee misses a call? What is it going to prove to anyone when you get into shouting match with another coach or parent?

Show respect for the coaches, the umpires and the people around you.

Most importantly, show respect for the players.

Because you may not remember 20 years from now if your son did not make the catch in the outfield, but you and your child will remember if you throw that punch.