Through a Child's Eyes - A Parents' Guide to Improving Youth Sports, 2006

Keep Your Child Involved In Sports

Parents are the key to improving youth sports for everyone.  Take this self-test to see if you're doing all you can to keep your child active in sports and receiving the benefits of sports participation.

A Self-Assessment Tool for Parents

Do you know your role?

• I realize that there are only four roles in sports - player, coach, official, or fan - and I pick one and stick with it.
• I understand that my child is a participant, not me, and my expectations are based on my child's needs, not mine.
• I avoid "coaching" from the stands and I also avoid criticizing the officials, coaches, and opposite players.
• If I coach my child's team, I seek to mode appropriate behavior and sportsmanship.

Do you have it all in perspective?

• I understand children play sports for fun, fitness, friends, participation and skill development.
• I examine my reasons for being involved and make sure my child's reasons for playing come before mine.
• I focus on encouraging skill development and fun participation, not on winning.
• I realize that childrens work is "play" and I try not to interfere with their experience.
• I am focused on my child's development as a whole person, not on his or her prospect for a sports scholarship or for a professional career playing sports.

Do you model the kind of behavior you'd like to see in your child?

• I let the coaches coach and the officials officiate.
• I avoid criticizing officials, coaches, and players - both during the game and after.
• I applaud good plays for both teams.
• I treat coaches, officials, players, and other parents with respect.
• I provide only positive encouragement before, during, and after the game.  If I can't say anything nice, I don't say anything at all.

Do you encourage sports participating for the long term?

• I do all I can to make sports participation fun, particularly since experts advise that most children stop participating when sports are no longer fun for them.
• I am quiet after the game and avoid critiquing or analyzing my child's performance on the way home.  I know my child wants to hear me say, "I love watching you play."
• I seek out leagues with trained coaches with focus on the positive aspects of sport, including sportsmanship, fun, and skill development.
• I try to make five positive comments for every one critical comment to my child.  Experts advise, "filling the child's tank" with positive comments to aid in learning.
• I resists effort to make my child specialize in any particular sport at a young age.