5 Attitudes to Avoid When Your Child Plays Sports
There are a number of attitudes that, as parents, you should avoid when your child plays sports. Usually, these impulsive behaviors are triggered by anxiety and desperation, but they can lead you to constant mistakes.
One of the most important aspects of your children’s life is the sport they play. Such practice should focus on their tastes and preferences, rather than being oriented to achieve physical and psychological well-being. In this sense, your job as a parent is to supervise and motivate your child in their activity. But sometimes this can get out of control.
Today, we’ll show you a series of negative attitudes that you should avoid when accompanying your child in their sports practice. Don’t miss it!
What attitudes should you avoid when your child plays sports?
Unbridled passion often takes hold of many parents in the context of their children’s sports. Pride is allowed, and so is motivation. But there’s a limit to everything and you should know it. Try to control yourself on the field and give the best example to your children.
1. Don’t let your passion get out of control
One of the first and most recognized attitudes that should be avoided is the externalization of unbridled passion.
Children’s sports require external support and motivation from parents. But like any aspect of parenting, incentive has a limit that should never be exceeded.
Try to enjoy the experience calmly and control your emotions. This doesn’t mean that you should hold back your feelings about watching your child play the sport he or she loves. However, letting yourself be carried away by your impulses could have unpleasant consequences, such as embarrassing or demotivating your child.
2. Constant fighting
Lack of self-control encourages unconscious responses, especially when such strong emotions dominate the scene. And on more than one occasion, parents can be seen fighting with each other in the stands or with their child’s coach at the end of the game.
Think it’s embarrassing? Imagine what it’s like for your child.
That’s why you should keep in mind that your goal is to avoid any type of verbal or physical confrontation based on what happens at the sporting event.
Apart from upsetting the people watching the event calmly, you may also embarrass your child and even lead to frustration and sadness.
3. Putting pressure on children
There are several key aspects to children’s sports, but none of them is pressure. Both physically and psychologically, it’s essential to respect the progress of each child.
In the case of your child, try to avoid transferring your sporting frustrations to them and let them walk their own path. Each child goes through a different process and the most important thing is that they enjoy what they do.
Constantly pressuring a child can bore them and encourage them to abandon sports altogether.
4. Take on the role of the coach
If your child practices a sport, they probably do it at school, at a gym, or through a parks and recreation program. Whatever the case, they have the necessary facilities and materials, as well as a coach who’s properly trained for that purpose.
These sports professionals are responsible for working constantly with children and even directing them during practice and official matches.
As a parent, your duty is to respect the work of the coach and understand your limits when it comes to intervening.
Encourage your child on the field, but don’t try to direct the game. Also, avoid giving directions during practice, especially if they’re contrary to those given by the coach.
Keep in mind that it’s good for children to learn who’s the authority figure on the playing field in order to fully understand the limits of the sport in question.
5. Showing constant fear
Among the attitudes to avoid when your child plays sports are exaggerated expressions of fear. Usually, this sensation is experienced by overprotective parents, who end up transmitting insecurity to the child.
The practice of sports usually awakens certain fears, especially because children want to interact physically with the environment. However, it’s important for parents to find a way to work on this feeling so as not to transmit it to their children. It may not be easy to understand or to do so at first, but in the long run, you’ll see the results.
At the same time, each sport has its own safety measures, which must be ensured by the institutions and their respective instructors.
Attitudes to avoid when your child plays sports in order not to block their development
Physical and psychological development is very important for your children, especially during such a sensitive stage as childhood.
Therefore, make sure that your behavior doesn’t interfere with their process and look for tools to mitigate fears, work on insecurities, and keep control of your emotions.
Remember that you’re your children’s main support, so your example is key. Act as such, be responsible, and positively motivate your children at all times.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Romero, S. Et al. (2009). El comportamiento de los padres en el deporte. Retos: nuevas tendencias en educación física, deporte y recreación. https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=2883501
- Torregrosa, M. Et al. (2007). La influencia de padres y madres en el compromiso deportivo de futbolistas jóvenes. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología. http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-05342007000200002
