It is quite essential to ponder as to whether the parenting skills you possess are up to the mark or below par. Many parents feel that they are making correct choices as regards their kids, especially in respect of sports. The parents need to play a vital role in their kids’ sports. They can play themselves with the children by setting an excellent example as a role model. As a matter of fact, there has been troublesome and disturbing bullying and sexual abuse matter in the small town of Sayreville. Regrettably, the attitudes and behaviours of several parents and adults, including teachers, seem to be quite problematic. Furthermore, this is not an exception to Sayreville; rather, one can find this sorry state of affairs in every community irrespective of caste, creed, race, socioeconomics, and area. Lamentably, you can also observe such a perturbing situation in a well-informed and educated society segment at an alarming level.
Moreover, many parents may not want to hear or read this much-needed issue required to be addressed right away. There is no denying the fact that being a parent, one can not behave consistently owing to our culture, particularly when the question pertains to youth sports. But, indifferent and careless behaviour may lead to some harmful consequences and thereby impacting not only your kids, but it could affect other children too.
1. “We show up at every game to give our full support and attention.”
Many parents always showcase that they support and pay proper attention to their children at every game. However, it is not the case in actual as evident from countless incidents taken place at different places recently. In fact, the parents are not engaged in respect of their children sporting events in persons. They feel that they are familiar with their children’s sporting activities by being with them physically and responding to their trainers, coaches, or team officials and to those available around them. In fact, as to what and how the actual things are going on the bench or at the team dugout, they do not have any clue or idea thereof.
2. “We know everything there is to know about the sport.”
Parents and even coaches feel that seeing things about the sports on the media such as TV or magazines is good enough to keep abreast of. This is also not the case in the true perspective of things. Watching on the TV does not make you an expert in imparting the essentials to your children. It has also been a matter of serious concern that most parents are unaware of the rudimentary rules, even the basic athletic techniques, and fitness problems. Therefore, they lack for behind in this important aspect and remain unable to handle their children emotionally when the situation arrives.
3. “My kid has a great experience, and I don’t want to ruin it.”
This statement is also one of the bad parenting attitudes and creates a lot of troubles. This puts a lot of pressure on our children, having overconfidence. As soon as we see something went wrong, our reaction reflects no real response. This is a bad parenting attitude going to impact the child’s behaviour in the long-run. This might affect your child’s future considerably. Therefore, parents should avoid saying such sweeping statements; therefore, you send wrong messages to your child.
4. “Even if we were not athletes, we want our kids to play a sport if they have some acumen and interest.”
Indeed, every parent likes to see his or her child as a popular sportsperson and excel thereof. However, some parents go one step further and build a sense of arrogance in their child’s mind. They think that their child is better than anyone else because they practice with them in their home’s backyard. Thus, they try to promote their child to the next level when they are not even ready. Building confidence is fine; however, there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.
5. “Financially investing too much in the kid’s development.”
A lot of parents invest too much money hiring expensive coaches and buying expensive equipment for their children. These parents need to understand that money doesn’t always guarantee a successful return. Some of these parents hire a retired player who used to play professionally as their child’s coach. They should realize that not all great players make great coaches, and not all great coaches were great players. Spending money on your child’s development is fine as long as you sensibly spend it.