How to Be a Sports Parent

Sports are an excellent way for children to learn teamwork and self-discipline, all while enjoying themselves and staying active and healthy. As a sports parent, it's essential that you help your kids stay motivated, but also provide them with the support system they need to succeed both on and off the field.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Ensure that your child is playing a sport because she enjoys it, and not because she wants to please her parents. Talk with your child to understand her motivations for wanting to play, and make sure she understands you'll love her whether or not she is involved in sports.
2. Encourage your child to focus on self-improvement in her sport of choice, and not on winning every game or match. If your child is too focused on winning, she's more likely to drop out of the sport if she or her team is not succeeding.
3. Monitor your child's academics, and make sure her school work isn't suffering because she's spending too much time playing sports. Ensure that she realizes that her parents expect that her studies will always come first before sports.
4. Attend as many of your child's games or matches as you can, even if doing so requires you to juggle your schedule, so that she knows you support her. Children whose parents are involved in their activities are better students and better athletes.
5. Establish a relationship with your child's coach and maintain communication with him. This way, if a problem that's related to the sport develops in your child, you will feel comfortable seeking the coach's help to resolve it.
6. Exercise with your child so that she's fit and ready to play in her sport once the season arrives.
7. Teach your child the fundamentals of good sportsmanship. Help your child to deal appropriately with both success and failure, and show her how to congratulate the other team or player when she experiences defeat.