Do's and Don'ts for Sport Parents

Do for Yourself:
• Get vicarious pleasure from your children's participation, but do not become overly ego-involved.
• Try to enjoy yourself at competitions. Your unhappiness can cause your child to feel guilty.
• Look relaxed, calm, positive and energized when watching your child compete. Your attitude influences
how your child feels and performs.
• Have a life of your own outside of your child's sports participation.
Do with Other Parents:
• Make friends with other parents at events. Socializing can make the event more fun for you.
• Volunteer as much as you can. Youth sports depend upon the time and energy of involved parents.
• Police your own ranks: Work with other parents to ensure that all parents behave appropriately at
practices and competitions.
Do with Coaches:
• Leave the coaching to the coaches.
• Give them any support they need to help them do their jobs better.
• Communicate with them about your child. You can learn about your child from each other.
• Inform them of relevant issues at home that might affect your child at practice.
• Inquire about the progress of your children. You have a right to know.
• Make the coaches your allies.
Do for your Children:
• Provide guidance for your children, but do not force or pressure them.
• Assist them in setting realistic goals for participation.
• Emphasize fun, skill development and other benefits of sports participation, e.g., cooperation,
competition, self-discipline, commitment.
• Show interest in their participation: help them get to practice, attend competitions, ask questions.
• Provide a healthy perspective to help children understand success and failure.
• Emphasize and reward effort rather than results.
• Intervene if your child's behavior is unacceptable during practice or competitions.
• Understand that your child may need a break from sports occasionally.
• Give your child some space when need. Part of sports participation involves them figuring things out
for themselves.
• Keep a sense of humor. If you are having fun and laughing, so will your child
• Provide regular encouragement.
• Be a healthy role model for your child by being positive and relaxed at competitions and by having
balance in your life.
• GIVE THEM UNCONDITIONAL LOVE: SHOW THEM YOU LOVE THEM WHETHER THEY
• WIN OR LOSE!!!
Don’t for Yourself:
• Base your self-esteem and ego on the success of your child's sports participation.
• Care too much about how your child performs.
• Lose perspective about the importance of your child's sports participation.