Sports Parenting 2

All this week we’re looking at how to push back on a youth sports culture that tends to value the wrong things, by living out our faith as sports parents. Have you ever taken the time to stand back and observe the behavior of the parents who stand on the sidelines screaming and yelling at refs, coaches, and even their own kids? As we parent our kids through organized sports, it’s important that we continually ask ourselves this question: “Who’s out on the field?” Unfortunately, some parents see their kids as a second chance to fulfill the sports dreams they themselves never realized during their own childhood. Alanis Morrisette’s gripping old song Perfect echoes the experience of too many kids: “I’ll live through you, I’ll make you what I never was/If you’re the best, then maybe so am I. . . you’ll make up for what I blew/what’s the problem. . . why are you crying?” Parents, let your kids play to have fun. Don’t require them to validate your own inadequacies.