Sport and Parenting

The sporting parent has some incredibly important responsibilities within the “performance partnership” – i.e. coach, athlete, parent. A sporting parent, for example, is responsible for developing values like honesty, integrity, humility, courage, discipline, a sporting parent can help a child develop time management and a sporting parent can teach an athlete to be more responsible for their own behaviour. This feature article discuss sporting parents and talks about how sporting parents can help their child realise their sporting potential.

Discussions with Coaches Geoff  Marsh (Cricket), Joyce Brown (Netball) and Lindsay Gaze (Basketball). 

In response to repeated community complaints, a Sydney Council announced it planned to introduce the following policy:

City of Botany, Code of Conduct, Sports Field Users.

“At it’s meeting of 26th May 1999, Council endorsed the following policy direction as outlined in the Mayoral Minutes No 5/99 and resolved:

That: “Council as a matter of policy, determine that any sporting activity being run by an Association or Club, on any ground within the City of Botany Bay, have lodged with Council, as a condition of use of Council’s playing fields, a Code of Conduct, which is to be subject to Council’s approval”. (more…)

Fifty tips for parents of young athletes, to help them get the most out of their chosen sport.

1. Love them unconditionally.
2. Support their coach.
3. Accept that they can not win every time they compete.
4. Allow them to be a kid and to have fun.
5. Help them to develop as a person with character and values.
6. Turn off as a sporting parent. Don’t make sport the one and only topic of conversation at the dinner table, in the car, etc.
7. Don’t introduce your child as “This is my son the swimmer or Rugby player” – their sport is just something they do – it does not define them.
8. Don’t do everything for them. Teach them responsibility and self management.
9. Reward frequently for success and effort but make them small, simple, practical, and personal things. Kids don’t need a CD or $20 just for playing sport.
10. Best of all reward them with what they really love…….your time! (more…)

In part one of this article we looked at different types of Sporting Parents.

Here are a few more……see if you recognise anyone you know. (more…)