LaRoche situation is hardly 'real world'

I could only laugh when I read in Kerry Lester's column of April 4 the comments of the representative of Christian Liberty Academy in regard to the more-than-silly Adam LaRoche situation.

In response to LaRoche's contention that his son would be learning life lessons in a Major League clubhouse that were not available in a classroom, Mr. McHugh stated that the boy "has had a chance to get out in the real world and see what it's like ..."

If Mr. McHugh considers the life of a Major League ballplayer comparable to the "real world," I wonder what kind of life lessons they are fostering under his guidance.

Major League ballplayers are, by and large, pampered elites who have people take care of their every need, from doing their laundry to carrying their luggage, to providing first-class transportation and accommodations. All of this, and they are paid ridiculously large amounts of money for playing a game.

By all accounts, Drake was in the White Sox clubhouse for 120 of the 162 games they played in 2015. Add travel time to and from games, and the time spent getting to and from Little League games, which father Adam deemed more important than school, to the time spent at spring training, and I believe that he was involved in baseball for as much as half a year.

I have no idea how Mr. LaRoche, Mr. McHugh, or anyone else can possibly consider that an appropriate upbringing, much less a well-rounded education. I am guessing that Mr. McHugh, in an attempt to support his own agenda of home schooling, overstated the case and does not recommend this lifestyle to the thousands of home school families he purports to represent.

Robert Lupo

Palatine