A very long ago, the renowned author and coach called Sharkie Zartman watched a game of youth volleyball tournament involving 10 years old young kids. Accorded to this observation, he saw that after the game was done, the young sports athletes’ parents were yelling at the coaches and getting furious. Interestingly, the young kids were happy and laughed and chatting with each other after the game. This observation forced him to think that whether which group is of the grown-ups and who the children are in that scenario.
According to the author, in general, most of the parents out there only focus on achieving trophies and milestones in the game. They have a competitive mindset with regard to youth sports games. On the contrary, for the kids who play the game, the only thing in their mind is to have fun and enjoy the sports. Winning or losing the game is not the primary focus for these kids.
Competitive Focus
According to the CEO and the founder of the outpatient behavioural health practice Ascend Consultation in Health Care Jenny Conviser, a lot of parents live their own life through their children. This means, if their children win, they think it as if they have won, and in case if their children lose, they perceive it as their own loss.
Jenny Conviser says that “Some parents rely on their children’s experiences and successes to feel more successful themselves.” She further states that “If you just prioritize your kid’s success as an athlete, you may overlook other important things like sleep, family or friend time and — this is a big one — the related financial stress [of sports] on the family.”
As per Jenny, those parents who tell their kids that if they score or play well in the next game, they will be rewarded, do more harm than good for their children. This is because the child would then think that he is only worthy of appreciation if he or she performs well. Otherwise, their parents are not happy with them. This is indeed one of the worst situations for a child.
Not just that, but due to the competitiveness and continuous participation in the sports events are resulting in more injures and kids harming themselves. It is the mindset that is causing this to happen.
Watch The Signs That Are Abusive
One of the most serious things that parents are not focusing on is the abuse that kids go through because of the coaches. The parents are just focusing on winning and achieving success, and because of that, they do not pay heed to the abusive signs.
Just because the team is of top-level and the coach is considered well experienced does not mean that parents should tolerate abusive coaches. Instead, they should ask their children to join other clubs where they can further excel and feel good about themselves as well.
Tips That Sports Parents Should Follow
- Look out for safe sports guidelines: Parents can find the safe sport guidelines through the U.S center for safe sports or the sports governing body.
- Avoid injuries that happen due to overload: Parents must ensure their kids do not indulge themselves a lot in the sports and training that they start to get injured.
- Watch out for disordered eating sign: A few of the sports such as wrestling involves eating disorders. Parents should ensure their kids do not have such disorders.
- Stay hydrated: If kids are sweating a lot, it is essential for them to drink water regularly, especially during the winters. This is because, in winters, it has been noticed that kids do not drink a lot. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure this.