You might have loved the good old days when your kids played on a elementary or even a middle school athletic team. Sure it was competitive but mostly kids went out to have fun and that's pretty much what they did. The experience of middle and elementary school athletics sometimes just doesn't prepare kids or their parents for what high school varsity athletics can become. These parenting tip s for when you kids play varsity sports may help both them and you to survive the "fun" of being a member of high school varsity sport.
1. Support the Athlete in Your Child. One way you can show your child that you are behind him or her all the way is to do those things that only a parent can do to assist your child in fulfilling their athletic dreams. This means doing what you can to make sure your child has the necessary equipment and extra instruction he or she may need to be the best they can be a their chosen sport. If you can afford it this means sending them to that extra camp session and getting the top of the line shoes. Neither may really help your child be a better athlete but both tell him or her that you are behind them all the way.
Parents can make sure that young people take training seriously by keeping good, healthy, nutritious food and plenty of healthful liquids in good supply especially during the sport season. Coaches do what they can with athletes at school, but it's Mom and Dad who make sure that kids regularly get a good nights sleep. It may be a battle some times getting kids to do the healthy things that their sport demands but parents who really support the athlete in their child will take up the battle calmly and reasonably . Your child will get the message and in the long run may even thank you for your help.
2.Support the Child in Your Athlete. Parents love to go and cheer on their young high school athletes. Some have been waiting for this opportunity all their lives. Being your child's most loyal fan is certainly a parent's role. Being your child's loudest , most outspoken, most invasive fan is not. You are likely to find that in the beginning your son or daughter may feel strange that you are there and they may be uncomfortable if they see you or hear you in the crowd. If you are really there for them, then be respectful of their wishes and do your cheering internally until your son or daughter adjusts to all the hoopla that so often accompanies high school athletics .
Your presence at a game may be something that your child quickly learns to manage, but your presence on the field after a game or in the locker room or in the coaches office is not something that any young person wants to see. Your child may only be in high school but he or she very much wants to be their own person. They are way past the point at which they want Mom and Dad to sort out their athletic issues for them. If there is a problem with the coach your child will likely just let it go or will have the back bone to talk in a reasoned way with the coach. The interference of a parent is seldom appreciated by a coach and almost never appreciated by a son or daughter.
3. Encourage Sportsmanship Above Victory. One of the best bits of parenting you can do when you have a child involved in high school athletics is to encourage their good sportsmanship as part of the team. This sportsmanship covers many situations. Kids need to be encouraged to accept the coach's decision to start someone else at first base. They need to be encouraged to deal with the fact that sometimes your team is not the best team in the match. They need to feel the encouragement of parents when they offer congratulations to the opposition at game's end.
But there are other forms of good sportsmanship that parents can encourage too. What about that bad call the umpire made, the dirty foul that center delivered or the hazing that one receives from the crowd after a not so perfect play. Knowing that your parents expect you to show good sportsmanship when times are tough, means a lot. For some kids it can mean everything. Parents help kids to draw their own line in the sand and to learn how to control themselves and not to cross the line. This kind of parenting may take a lot of conversations and patience. In the end what you are really teaching your child is that sportsmanship, the ability to take the good with the bad and simply enjoy the game for what it is will always be more important than a win. That's no easy lesson.
4. Help Your Child Stay Balanced. When your child gets involved in varsity sports you may find that the whole world of your household gets thrown upside down. Your child becomes a ward of the football team and you are supposed to swing with it. As a parent you need to express another opinion to your child. As much as sports are a wonderful thing, they are only a very small part of the world picture you want for your child. You need to work to help your child see his or her chosen sport in relative terms. Yes its wonderful to be on the varsity softball team but there is also math, piano lessons, your sister's birthday and a family vacation that are going on in your child's life. They all have importance and none should be diminished because of a single high school activity.
As a parent you must determine when to step in with a gentle word to remind your child of the rest of his or her life and the people who are counting on him or her.
5. Help Your Child View the Future Some high school athletes become convinced somewhere along the way that they may be able to take their game to the next level. They think that perhaps they can play college ball or even go on to the pros. It's great for kids to have dreams, few people go far without them. But parents are the ones who have to keep kids tied to some kind of reality.
Give your child every chance to do as much as he or she can with their given talent but also help your child to see professional sports for what they are. There are only a very few professional playing positions in the whole world and many, many competent athletes . The odds are clearly stacked against being a professional athlete. Helping your child see the reality need not mean squashing their dreams, it may just mean helping them to work towards their goal but to be very sure they have a back up plan. No parent wants to see their child down and out at 25 because their big chance never came along.
Following your kids through varsity athletics can be great fun. You'll love the excitement of it all and you will likely feel great pride every time you see your child wearing the school colors and getting cheers from the fans. But remember in this scenario, you may be as excited as any kid, but you are still the adult and you need to keep in mind just a few of these parenting tips for when your kids play varsity sports
1. Support the Athlete in Your Child. One way you can show your child that you are behind him or her all the way is to do those things that only a parent can do to assist your child in fulfilling their athletic dreams. This means doing what you can to make sure your child has the necessary equipment and extra instruction he or she may need to be the best they can be a their chosen sport. If you can afford it this means sending them to that extra camp session and getting the top of the line shoes. Neither may really help your child be a better athlete but both tell him or her that you are behind them all the way.
Parents can make sure that young people take training seriously by keeping good, healthy, nutritious food and plenty of healthful liquids in good supply especially during the sport season. Coaches do what they can with athletes at school, but it's Mom and Dad who make sure that kids regularly get a good nights sleep. It may be a battle some times getting kids to do the healthy things that their sport demands but parents who really support the athlete in their child will take up the battle calmly and reasonably . Your child will get the message and in the long run may even thank you for your help.
2.Support the Child in Your Athlete. Parents love to go and cheer on their young high school athletes. Some have been waiting for this opportunity all their lives. Being your child's most loyal fan is certainly a parent's role. Being your child's loudest , most outspoken, most invasive fan is not. You are likely to find that in the beginning your son or daughter may feel strange that you are there and they may be uncomfortable if they see you or hear you in the crowd. If you are really there for them, then be respectful of their wishes and do your cheering internally until your son or daughter adjusts to all the hoopla that so often accompanies high school athletics .
Your presence at a game may be something that your child quickly learns to manage, but your presence on the field after a game or in the locker room or in the coaches office is not something that any young person wants to see. Your child may only be in high school but he or she very much wants to be their own person. They are way past the point at which they want Mom and Dad to sort out their athletic issues for them. If there is a problem with the coach your child will likely just let it go or will have the back bone to talk in a reasoned way with the coach. The interference of a parent is seldom appreciated by a coach and almost never appreciated by a son or daughter.
3. Encourage Sportsmanship Above Victory. One of the best bits of parenting you can do when you have a child involved in high school athletics is to encourage their good sportsmanship as part of the team. This sportsmanship covers many situations. Kids need to be encouraged to accept the coach's decision to start someone else at first base. They need to be encouraged to deal with the fact that sometimes your team is not the best team in the match. They need to feel the encouragement of parents when they offer congratulations to the opposition at game's end.
But there are other forms of good sportsmanship that parents can encourage too. What about that bad call the umpire made, the dirty foul that center delivered or the hazing that one receives from the crowd after a not so perfect play. Knowing that your parents expect you to show good sportsmanship when times are tough, means a lot. For some kids it can mean everything. Parents help kids to draw their own line in the sand and to learn how to control themselves and not to cross the line. This kind of parenting may take a lot of conversations and patience. In the end what you are really teaching your child is that sportsmanship, the ability to take the good with the bad and simply enjoy the game for what it is will always be more important than a win. That's no easy lesson.
4. Help Your Child Stay Balanced. When your child gets involved in varsity sports you may find that the whole world of your household gets thrown upside down. Your child becomes a ward of the football team and you are supposed to swing with it. As a parent you need to express another opinion to your child. As much as sports are a wonderful thing, they are only a very small part of the world picture you want for your child. You need to work to help your child see his or her chosen sport in relative terms. Yes its wonderful to be on the varsity softball team but there is also math, piano lessons, your sister's birthday and a family vacation that are going on in your child's life. They all have importance and none should be diminished because of a single high school activity.
As a parent you must determine when to step in with a gentle word to remind your child of the rest of his or her life and the people who are counting on him or her.
5. Help Your Child View the Future Some high school athletes become convinced somewhere along the way that they may be able to take their game to the next level. They think that perhaps they can play college ball or even go on to the pros. It's great for kids to have dreams, few people go far without them. But parents are the ones who have to keep kids tied to some kind of reality.
Give your child every chance to do as much as he or she can with their given talent but also help your child to see professional sports for what they are. There are only a very few professional playing positions in the whole world and many, many competent athletes . The odds are clearly stacked against being a professional athlete. Helping your child see the reality need not mean squashing their dreams, it may just mean helping them to work towards their goal but to be very sure they have a back up plan. No parent wants to see their child down and out at 25 because their big chance never came along.
Following your kids through varsity athletics can be great fun. You'll love the excitement of it all and you will likely feel great pride every time you see your child wearing the school colors and getting cheers from the fans. But remember in this scenario, you may be as excited as any kid, but you are still the adult and you need to keep in mind just a few of these parenting tips for when your kids play varsity sports
