Children And Sports Effects of Parents Pushing Them To The Limit

Many of us have children in sports hoping that someday they'll improve to the point where they play at the collegiate and even professional level. There are some children that are gifted with the ability to be spectacular at whatever they do and then there are the ones that seem to be just average or lack the confidence to be great. Us as parents tend to push and push our kids to be the best they can be, however some parents seem to push their kids to be as good as the superstar on the team. This is where pushing your child can have negative effects on their confidence and even get them to dislike sports in general.

When I see a parent yelling at their kid for not playing the way the parent expects them to play it pains me to see the look of sadness on the child. Some parents will say that they are just trying to light a fire under their belly but I believe it is something more. I feel parents get caught up in the moment and it becomes all about winning instead of developing, let's face it, most of these children are not going to be professional athletes for a living. At some point the parents need to let up and just praise their children for the hard work and dedication that goes into playing sports. Winning is not the name of the game when it comes to sports and children, learning the ethics of sportsmanship, hard work, dedication and teamwork are the main reasons why sports are beneficial to kids. The relationships built through sports and confidence building can be shattered by an overly aggressive coach or parent that only cares about the mark in the win column.

When attending your child's sporting event remember not to be too hard on them when they make mistakes. It's too easy to get caught up in the excitement and take it out on your child in a way that is unhealthy for them and your relationship. Enjoying the game for what it is instead of critiquing every little thing your child does wrong is the key to a happy child and a stronger relationship as a family. Take a look at some of the books below for some great reading about children, sports and how to be a better sports parent.