Sports Parenting Basics Center

It's unfortunate that so many coaches and parents see each season's won and loss record as the only measure of success, instead of being just a part of having fun and the learning experience. The real journey in youth sports, says youth basketball commissioner and founder of Respect Sports, Frank White, should be that each season's learning builds upon the previous season's fundamentals as athletes strive to achieve enough skills to play at the varsity high school level, or just enough achievement to enjoy playing the game, at even the recreational sports level.

 

One way parents and coaches can help a child realize their full athletic potential, says four-time Olympic medalist Angela Ruggiero, is to explain what they may be able to achieve by setting goals and working hard.

When is the desire to excel a child's and when is it the parents'?  When does a parent cross the line from supportive to pushy? Sports parents should always remember to think about their motives for encouraging their child to play a certain sport or to attain a specific goal.

It is critically important that you and your child have realistic expectations about his or her development as an athlete and that you don't confuse your expectations and desires with those of your child. Parents who complain that their child has quit a sport too early may be doing so because he isn't doing what they want him to do.

Watching 12 hours of Olympic coverage every day gives one Texas sports mom a chance to learn from lots of dedicated sports moms, and grandmums, including Queen Elizabeth II.