Please click on the articles to the left to learn more about your role as a parent, how your behavior and comments, both positive and negative, effect your child and your team.
A Kid’s Perspective
A mother was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her son. Suddenly the boy bursts into the kitchen. "Careful! Careful! Put in some more butter! Oh my goodness! You’re cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They’re going to STICK! Careful!...CAREFUL! I said CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind? Don’t forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!" The mother stared at him. "What’s wrong with you? You think I don’t now how to fry a couple of eggs?" The son calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I’m trying to play soccer."
Players, especially young players, have a hard enough time concentrating on controlling the ball and deciding what the next best decsion should be, they don’t need to be distracted by constant instructions from the parent sideline. Plus, what you say may be contradicting the coach’s instructions on how he/she want’s your son/daughter’s team to play and limits your child’s ability to learn from his/her own decision making on the field. Sit back, enjoy the game, and cheer when you see a good play and hustle. Leave the coaching to the coaches and be supportive of your child and the team.
