Ask any athlete what they dread most about youth sports and a majority will say, the car ride home after the game.
While many sports parents continue to stew, and even angrily verbalize over a bad call by a referee or questionable strategy from their child’s coach, most young players have already mentally moved on. The game’s over; they’re done, and they don’t want or need ongoing negative commentary or a reanalysis. While our kids don’t want the post game rehash, they do want to know that they are worthy of our attention and support. They want to hear, “I love watching you play.”
Do you want to be your child’s biggest fan? Do you want to inspire rather than sour their return to the field for the next game or practice? Stop thinking about the result and put yourself in the place of that young person sitting next to you or in the rear view mirror.
In a recent “Changing the Game Project” blog post, James Leath said, “Kids love presents, but what they need, and what they will remember, is presence.” Read the full post here.