Parenting

Now, I know I am not a parent and I have not ever been put in a parent's shoes, but there are some things parents need to know. Parents need to understand the way their child works and what he/she likes for input. Some parents get so caught up in their child's athletic careers that they have basically taken up a position as their child's coach. Not all kids enjoy having their parent criticize everything they do, especially in sports.

If your child is one that gets angry when you mention a mistake they made during a game, they probably do not welcome your feedback. Some players don't even like to hear the positives of the game and want to keep sports out of their relationship. Knowing how your child reacts to different things is extremely important. You could add to the stresses of your child by nagging them to do better or pointing out what they need to work on.

Other kids love to hear what their parents have to say and want to hear every little detail of how they played. While, I do not know many kids out there like this, it is something you should take into consideration. Do you show up to your child's games? Do they know how much you support them? If they do not feel supported, they might need a little more closure on how they played.

I am a child that likes to hear feedback from my parents, but not so much detail on what I did wrong. I know the mistakes I made, and do not need to be reminded. I would like to focus more on the positives, but the negatives are so much clearer in my mind. If I had a bad game you might as well just not talk to me, because I already know what I could have done to do better. It is always nice to hear your parent's input though and athletes should always show respect to their parents, no matter how angry they are.

It is extremely important that athletes and parents have an understanding of each other's feelings towards criticism. While one might think it will help, the other will not feel comfortable with it. Parents should always ask if athletes want to talk about the game or not, because just diving into conversation might make the athlete a little angry. Remember, athletes are tired from playing and a little too hard on themselves. Just try and make it easier on them, without sugar-coating it.