• My kid’s success or lack of success in sports does not indicate what kind of parent I am… But having an athlete that is coachable, respectful, a great teammate, mentally tough, resilient and who tries their best is a direct reflection of my parenting.
   
• No one watches me closer or emulates me more than my kid.
   
• I am watching a game played by children, the coaches are volunteers, the referees are human, this is not the world cup even though it really feels like it in the moment.
   
• I wish I was kinder to the referees.  My player loved the game so much they eventually became one.
   
• My kids play their sport(s) for their own reason, and it may not be the reason I played a sport growing up or why we *think* they should be playing theirs. My job is to support them in THAT.

• I have an ego that can sometimes make my kids’ sports experience about me. If I’m not careful, I will rob them of their own experience.

• Car rides home are for deciding where we’re going to stop for ice cream and not a venue for pointing out everything they did wrong.

• Referees and umpires aren’t paid enough.

• We love to evaluate how coaches coach, but don’t thank them enough for the time and energy they put in to ensure our kids can play.

• It’s not our kid’s job to make us proud of how they play. It’s our job to teach them how to be proud of themselves when they find the lessons within the game.

• I need a loan to cover concession stand runs for Gatorades forgotten and little siblings who are bored.

  Hearing that one dad on the opposing team calling a referee “absolute trash” with my then-2nd grader in earshot.

• Sportsmanship matters. The kid who comforts a teammate who made a bad play, the one who starts the rally in the dugout, the player who exudes talent but accepts compliments with humility. We need to celebrate more of that.

• Accountability matters, too. If we let young athletes berate a teammate for a mistake, disrespect a coach or taunt an opposing player without consequences, we are setting them up for failure even if they win the game.

• Life lessons matter, too. If we’re only celebrating wins and losses and not focused on helping them develop life skills, we’re missing the point. If we’re giving kids a starting spot because their dad’s the coach or because their parent complained — rejection is only going to be harder for them later in life.

• When the noise of youth sports politics gets loud, I seek out the quiet of focusing on the joy of getting to watch my kids play.
   

Have one to add? Email us