Tips for Being a Great, Supportive Sports Parent

Author: Austin Stanfel

The pleasures of being a parent can be summed up in the incredible satisfaction that comes when you watch your kids experiencing life. You can count yourself incredibly lucky to be a parent as you get to share so much with them. You get to enjoy countless moments from their adolescence up to the time that they grow up, seeing them take their first steps, explore their surroundings and to get past the hurdles that might be stopping them from excelling in life. Amongst all these experiences, one such experience is watching your kids tackle sports – be it badminton, soccer, baseball, and so forth – games offer a brilliant opportunity for children to develop their physical ability, strength, sportsmanship, confidence and so forth.

And in all this, as a parent, you get to play a significant role in the overall athletic development of your child and in supporting their pursuit of excellence in sports. However, we must realize that there exists a fine line between supporting your child and belittling/bullying them. We must remember that young children are looking up to us to be examples. In this article, we will look at a few tips and tricks that can get you up to the level of being a great, supportive sports parent.

We need to avoid speaking badly about others

Children are especially sensitive to bad conversations – and remember that they are always watching you and are picking up on whatever cues you leave them. Treat everyone – be it referees, other opponents, children, and officials with respect and with courtesy.

Not just look at the win, but also look at the work put behind.

We ought not to merely judge athletes (children in this article) by the fact of their victory or loss – they are far more worth than that. They deserve your appreciation whether they win or lose – that being said, you don’t need to give them empty praise for everything – they can see through that and perceive vain platitudes very easily.

Respect officials

We need to develop a culture of respect wherein we respect and support the people who are in charge of the game, be it, officials or referees. They work very hard and put in much effort to ensure that the game runs on very smoothly. Even if at a point, you disagree with their decisions, make sure that you do so with utmost respect and friendliness, as you are setting an example for your children.

Challenge your child

Keep pushing your child forward – not by pressuring them, but by challenging them with your example. Get them to explore the depths of their ability and give them room to try and fail – for, in doing that, they will develop and go on to master whatever sport they are participating in. Give them opportunities to switch their careers based on their interests and be there for them when they consider doing so, as such moves require a lot of courage to go through with.