How to Discourage Your Kid in Sports

Good parents know that it is obviously important to be a visibly present part of your child’s extracurricular activities. But how much is too much? One important part of any athletic sport or creative pastime is to help children learn to grow and develop into upstanding adults. While it’s crucial to be actively encouraging and supportive of your child there are times when it can all go too far.

Take the angry soccer mom, for instance. When a parent freaks out at their kid’s sporting events what are the potential negative ramifications?

Teaches Bad Sportsmanship

Fencing is one particular activity that promotes sportsmanship both on the strip and off. It also encourages the parents of the competitors to also be well-behaved.

Sure, sometimes it can be challenging to get a kid up and out to practice, but extreme pushing and scolding can have many negative results as well. And rudely heckling other peoples’ children should never be acceptable. It’s also important for parents to look at their underlying motivation for such anger and pushing; are you hoping your child will maybe some day receive a scholarship for their efforts? If so that’s an understandable goal, though not the best way to go about it. However, if you are wanting them to live out the dream that you yourself never fulfilled then you should really look at that.

Discourages Your Child

In sports the best case scenario is when your child finds something they love that they happen to have innate skill at, and that they want to keep working on. Is this rare? Yes. But sometimes it’s just a matter of your child finding the one real thing that resonates. If you constantly badger and belittle your child then you may turn them off of sports altogether, which could sadly lead to a sedentary lifestyle on into adulthood. Support your child in their athletic aspirations, don’t suppress or smother them.

Embarrasses Your Child

Let’s face it, kids can be cruel and will sometimes find any ammo possible to use as a tool for ridicule. Don’t add to your child’s stress level by freaking out in public and private about their chosen sport – if you find yourself losing your cool then get up and take a walk. And whenever possible just be the parent all the kids love instead of sneer at.

Supporting your child in his/her chosen sport is expected and encouraged; turning what should be a fun time of growth and discovery into pain and humiliation is not. Lead by example (both for you, your kid and even the other parents) and be the parent you hope your child will one day become. Be encouraging, have fun, but always remember that when your kid’s on the field or court this is their time to shine, not yours.

Written by Erin Nolan. Friend’s soccer mom freak out and you need to make a claim? Look here: www.accidentclaims.org

Published in Education, Family