How to Talk to Your Kid When Their Favorite Athlete is Arrested

If your child watches sports, he probably has a favorite player. Unfortunately, there may come a time when that particular player finds himself in legal trouble. This can be difficult for your child to understand and it's important how you handle the situation.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Talk to your child about the arrest of his or her favorite athlete. This is a great way to monitor what your child learns about his favorite athlete. The story that is reported on the news may be a little bit more than you would like your child to learn. Sitting him down talking with him about the arrest is the safest way to ensure that he's learning only what he needs to know.
2. Tell your child why what the athlete is being accused of is morally wrong. This is especially important if the athlete was arrested for something out of the ordinary. Remind the child that he should never do whatever action it was that got the athlete arrested, regardless of the athlete's guilt or innocence.
3. Remind your child that everybody is guilty until proven innocent. Whenever a celebrity or athlete is arrested, the media automatically assumes that person is guilty. This may not be the case. Explain to your child in a simple way that his favorite athlete may have done nothing wrong.
4. Tell your kid about all of the charitable contributions many athletes make. The truth is more athletes than not never get arrested. Many give large amounts of both money and time to great organizations. It's important to remind your child that not every athlete will end up in this situation.
5. Encourage your child to continue following sports. Just because his favorite athlete got himself into trouble does not mean that your child should be discouraged from cheering other players or enjoying sports in general. Watch sports with your child and perhaps the two of you can begin cheering for a different player together.
6. Remind your child that everyone makes mistakes. Just because their favorite athlete was arrested, that doesn't make the athlete a bad person. Many athletes take great strides to make up for getting into trouble, such as volunteering or donating extra money to organizations.

Tips & Warnings

• Monitor the athletes that your child cheers for. If his favorite athlete is a known troublemaker or “bad boy,” you may want to encourage your child to pick a new favorite athlete.