Ways for Sports Parents to Set a Good Example
"Children learn self-control by watching you display self-control. Like a coach who remains calm and under control in tough situations, parents who exhibit good sideline behavior provide young athletes with an appropriate role model for handling the emotional ups and downs of competition."
~ Brooke de Lench
1. Support the Entire Team
Instead of focusing on your own child, choose cheers that complement the entire team. The players may never hear your words of encouragement but the kids on the bench will get the message that you are pulling for the entire team.
- Don't Critique the Players Negative remarks have a way of reverberating through the crowd and will undermine the team work on the field. Practice good karma ("what goes around comes around").
- Don't Put Your Child on A Pedestal Kids need to support one another and play as a team. Parents need to do the same.
- Congratulate any Players who make a Good Play If kids see the adults applauding good plays made by the other team, they will be getting a very important message: that the game isn't such a life-or death, kill-or-be killed event that parents can't exhibit good sportsmanship.
- Thank the Officials and Coaches Expressions of gratitude go a long way to motivating officials and coaches to continue doing the job they are doing and shows your children that they individuals are important.
My quote on Sportsmanship:
"Children learn self-control by watching you display self-control. Like a coach who remains calm and under control in tough situations, parents who exhibit good sideline behavior provide young athletes with an appropriate role model for handling the emotional ups and downs of competition."
Brooke de Lench
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