The spring youth sports season is upon us. Kids will be starting soccer, little league baseball or another team sport this season. As a parent, it is an opportunity for us enjoy watching our kids learn, be part of team, grow and enjoy playing a sport. There will parents, grandparents, siblings, your kids teammates parents, and opposing teams parents all watching from the sidelines. Who you will not find on the sidelines of your child’s sporting event are scouts from the Milwaukee Brewers or any professional sports team.
This is time to teach our kids life lessons through sports, about how to play the game properly and enjoy being part of a team. This is not about creating a superstar athlete to be your little retirement plan with a sense of entitlement. Kids can learn valuable life lessons from sports and being part of a team that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Kids lose interest in playing the game that they love because it is not fun anymore as it becomes less about them and more about their parents. The point of youth sports is to teach ours kids to take both the high and the lows in stride. Just like in live, you want kids to know too not let the highs get you too high and the lows to get you too low. Yes, Vince Lombardi once said, ‘Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing’, but we want to teach our kids that you don’t always succeed in life, you just have to keep working hard.
When I coaching club swimming and high school swimming, it was about teaching the kids the fundamentals of the sport. As a coaching, I focused more on proper technique instead of just having them swim many yards day in and day out. This kept that kids upbeat so they would not burn out, and they improved in their events by being technically sound in the water. At the end of the day, it was about improving their confidence, self-esteem and providing with memories that will last a lifetime.
Having your child in sports helps enhance their coordination, concentration, and health. Just like in school, they will learn how to work towards a common goal, share, take turns and make friendships. Plus, they will learn to win with grace and how to cope with a tough loss.
In recent years, more and more parents are coaching from the sidelines, yelling at the coaching, and being extremely hard on their son or daughter. As we enter another sports season, below are some tips that parents should adhere to when they are watching from the sidelines.
Be Present. When you attend your child’s practice and games, you demonstrate to them that you care and want to be involved. This is your time to sit back and watch all of your kids hard work. Turn off all the distractions and focus on your kid growing from all the effort that they are putting in.
Address Concerns at Another Time. If you have concerns with the way your childs coach is handling certain things, do not address them in front of your child. That may make for an uncomfortable situation for them at the time and during the next practice. You want to address those concerns with the coach off to the side and outside of practice hours.
Never Coach from the Sidelines. If you wanted to coach you should have volunteered before the season started. Most coaches are volunteers and doing their best. Coaching from the sideline will distract your child from the game and confuse them as it may be different from what their coach is telling them to do. It may also diminish their ability to play well as they may get frustrated trying to please you instead of just playing the game and having fun.
Be Their Cheering Squad. You are at the game to enjoy the experience with your child. When they see you from the field, you want them to see the pride, joy and love you have for them. Show encouragement to your child if this miss the ball or if they do something well. Provide them with positive re-enforcement.
As you are watching your child play this sports season, remember they are kids playing a game, and it’s only game. This is not the major leagues and the coaches and umpires are volunteers. There are no media contracts or endorsement deals. This is an opportunity for your child to learn the game, get better and enjoy being part of a team. These are experiences that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.
