|
In his book Positive Sports Parent: How ‘Second Goal’ Parents Raise Winners In Life Through Sport, American author Jim Thompson encourages parents to worry less about winning and losing concentrate more on the ‘second goal’ of sport – the ability to teach valuable life lessons.
|
These are some points to consider:
Fill Emotional Tanks: E-Tanks are like gas tanks. Fill your children’s E-Tanks with specific, truthful praise and they will be more coachable and perform better. Non-verbals like high-fives and head nods also fill E-Tanks. |
| Mistake Ritual: Mistakes are what kids worry about most in sports. Reduce fear of mistakes to release more energy to make the play. Help your child "reset" for the next play with a ‘flush’ motion and ‘Flush it!’ |
| Focus on Effort: When your child tries hard and succeeds: ‘Great play! Your hard work is paying off.’ In times of failure: ‘It didn't work out, but I love your effort!’ Let your child know you value effort more than talent. |
| No-Directions Cheering: Avoid giving sidelines advice by eliminating verbs. Say ‘Great pass!’ but not ‘Pass it!’ It's the coach's job to coach. Yours is to cheer. |
| Self-Control Routine: Develop a routine to keep from getting carried away by perceived unfairness to your child. Count backwards from 20, turn away from the game, take five deep breaths, whatever it takes to avoid embarrassing your child (and yourself!). |
| For more books on parenting and sport, visit: www.balancesportspublishing.com |
