A father in California experienced an unexpected encounter with park rangers while playing tennis with his children. Sam Dogen, a father from San Francisco, recounted how his casual family outing turned into a questioning session by park authorities.
While practicing tennis with his six-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son at Golden Gate Heights Park, Dogen was approached by two rangers from the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. They wanted to know if he had a permit to provide tennis lessons, suspecting him of operating commercially.
“I was puzzled,” Dogen said. “I was simply spending time with my kids.”
The confusion only cleared up when one of Dogen’s children clarified their relationship to the rangers by saying, “He’s my daddy.” The family was not penalized, though Dogen was informed that teaching without a permit could cost him a $192 fine.
The Recreation and Parks Department confirmed it was a routine check to ensure no commercial instruction was taking place without the necessary documentation. Department spokesperson Tamara Aparton stated their aim was to confirm whether any instruction on public courts was commercial or personal.
Dogen expressed understanding of the city’s regulations but felt parents should receive different treatment when simply engaging with their children. “Raising children in an expensive city is difficult enough,” he noted. “Encounters with unfriendly law enforcement add to the challenge.”
Dogen’s goal during the interaction was to maintain calm, especially with his children present. “I wanted to de-escalate and keep my kids safe,” he emphasized.
For future outings, Dogen humorously suggested carrying his children’s birth certificates as proof of their relationship, stating, “I’m not getting a permit to teach my own kids.” He hopes the incident motivates city officials to foster a friendlier atmosphere for families, avoiding fines for actions like teaching tennis to one’s children on an empty court.