Various roles are played by youth sports parents; they have a strong impact as former coach or athlete, motivators, coaches, role models, critics, and above all influencers. Studies have concluded that family members play a major role in athlete’s achievements in sports than the coaches. Parents are considered of utmost importance in determining whether their children will reap the advantages of playing sports. For this reason, parents must be well-aware and answerable for their deeds and how they impact young emerging athletes.
Accountability for the Attitude
Parents play an integral role in encouraging and motivating children to play sports. The positive attitude of parents towards the child will ultimately lead towards a greater sense of achievement, motivation, and encouragement to playing sports.
Windee M. Weiss, Ph.D. from the University of Northern Lowa studies laid stress on the significance of parents being answerable for their attitude and assisting their child’s with sports experiences. Parents are crucial in developing strategies in coping up with the intense competition along with winning and losing. Parent’s interests in playing sports have an everlasting implication in building a child’s perspective towards the game.
Facts found by the University of Minnesota’s Diana Wiese-Bjornstal established that a girl’s perception is aligned with their parent’s assessment of their capabilities and chances of staying and playing sports. If their parents are not assertive of their capabilities, neither will they be. And yes, a dad holds more influence on a daughter’s sports abilities and values other positive or negative mothers than their moms. Mothers are the initiators in enrolling their daughters in sports with their continuous support and motivation in different forms like providing uniforms pick and drop, moral support, and lunch.
Parents are Responsible for Readiness
Research from Yale University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Austin propose that children actively take part in sports because they aim to not because of their parent’s pressures. Nevertheless, parents must ensure their child is mentally, emotionally, physically strong enough to indulge in sports activities. Readiness in sports is as crucial as it’s in school. Younger kids require parental guidance until they get mature.
Benefits and Drawbacks for Parents
Research from Wiersma and Fifer research has shown that positive experiences with children help parents to confidently interact with other parents. Seeing their kids exploring their new skills will give them happiness and contentment.
On the darker side, an emphasis on extrinsic objectives like winning trophies, medals, statues, and success in every match by parents can annul the intrinsic objectives such as enjoyment, enhancing their skills, and grasp skills. Coaches witness an improvement in performance in the presence of parents. Moreover, parents lacking recognition, acceptance, and self-realization leads to conflicts mostly during difficult times. LaVoi and Stellino have discovered a parent who creates panic after losing and stresses winning are likely to negate the benefits like happiness, skills, and expertise.
Guivernau and Duda suggest that parent’s acceptance of cheating and aggressive behavior adversely shapes children’s perspectives. Whenever young athletes feel support and pragmatic approach they display sportsmanship, probity, and thus, gracefully lose. They show reluctance towards using abusive and foul language towards opponents.
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Final Conclusion
The accountability of parents will positively impact their minds and mood. This is a source of motivation and encouragement on playing sports alongside, maintains the healthy relationship of trust and respect developed with the coaches. Accountability certainly begins from the home, when a parent starts to take responsibility for their words and actions. This gives youth athletes a booster and guidance in terms of actions and attitudes.