Parent's Role

A mother's natural instincts to teach, nurture and protect their child in sports can backfire unless she is the coach.

It seems to be popular these days to blame the parents for their out-of-control behavior at youth sports events. There is probably no way to completely eliminate the emotional pressure a parent feels when they are attending their child's athletic event (pressure that naturally increases as the child moves up the competitive ladder), but are parents who act out a symptom of what is wrong with youth sports or the disease itself?

Mothers can play an important role in parenting male athletes, helping to avoid reinforcing unhealthy gender stereotypes while providing him healthy ways through sports to channel his aggressive impulses.

Have you ever brought a pad of paper to the game to keep track of errors your child made so you can have her practice the play when you get home? Are you in a bad mood after your child loses and in seventh heaven after he wins? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be an overinvolved sports.