Parental Interference in Youth Sports
Common Sports Parenting Mistakes Made With Youth Athletes
Nov 9, 2009
In the competitive world of youth sports, parents play a critical role in creating a strong and positive support system for their children. All too often parents step out of this role and act in ways that their involvement becomes negative. Parental interference can impact the parent-child relationship in ways that can affect a child for his entire life. To avoid such potentially devastating long term results, parents need to be aware of what pitfalls to avoid.
Common Mistakes Parents of Youth Athletes Make
Take a look at some of the mistakes parents commonly make.
- Parents find themselves using guilt to put pressure on the child to work harder and spend more time practicing. The driving force behind this is quite often the considerable, financial, emotional and excessive time commitments that the parent has invested into the youth athlete.
- Parents who become overly involved and insert themselves in the coaching aspect of the sport end up undermining the coach's authority which can put unnecessary pressure on the youth athlete.
- Setting expectations regarding increased practicing, performance and ultimately winning puts too much pressure on a child and can negatively affect progress or performance.
- Tying rewards to winning can have long term consequences especially if a parent withdraws attention or love when a youth athlete loses.
- Living vicariously through a child's sports experience can put undue pressure on a child when in fact participation at all or to the level a parent expects does not represent the child's wishes.
Ways Parents Can Avoid Negative Effects on Student Athletes
- Take time to ask the child about his/her aspirations and expectations when considering participation in a youth sports program.
- Parents need to remember to take a back seat and let the coach do the coaching. Do not critique a coach in front of the athlete. Do not attempt to discuss strategy and playing time with a child or coach.
- Allow child athletes to assume responsibility for both success and failure on and off the field.
- Focus on the fun aspects of a competitive sport as well as the innate value of participation.
- Play an active role in the child's sports activities by limiting involvement to emotional, financial, and logistical support.
Positive sports parenting is the key to ensuring that a child's participation in a sport is a rewarding and positive experience. The benefits of youth sports can quickly be negated when parents place unnecessary pressure on youth athletes through their words and actions. Educating parents and implementing codes of conduct are essential to creating a healthy sports environment where youth athletes thrive.
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