Kids, Sports, Parents

We have touched on the budding of the superstars, we have touched base on some initial training, now the good stuff. PARENTS! We all have them, we all love them, but boy can they be embarrassing.

Competitive athletics and parents go together about as good as oil and water, they don't. All of us have had our moments. We yell at the coach, we scream at the ref, we chew out our child. I am not going to lie, I've had them too. As I have aged (gracefully I might add) I have learned many valuable lessons as parent/coach, none more important than let the kids play. Notice I said play. Don't get me wrong, I want my kids to win, win, win, win, but more importantly I want them to have fun. They put enough pressure on themselves, they do not need me harping all the time. I let them know what is expected-100% effort, be a team player, good sportsmanship, and have fun. Here is an excellent article from USA Hockey about parents and sports. It is a must read.

I will divulge my bad behavior (as well as my good) as we move along in the timeline. No question I was an idiot at times, took the fun out of sports at times, was a complete jerk at times. I have seen the errors of my ways, I hope you can too. Remember its never to late to change. LET THE KIDS HAVE FUN! That's what it's about, that's what you want them to remember 20 years from now. LET THE KIDS PLAY, it is only a game for crying out loud.