Parenting The Child Athlete
Dr. Soccer Mom was born out of the realization that the wins and losses of an athlete in sports are similar to the wins and losses of a person in their health or on their life journey. The parallels between life, health, and sports converge on common themes that can help parents and guardians not only raise a child athlete, but also just a child who will go through life.
As children display an interest in becoming athletes, they must have the right balance and support to encourage them and to help them work toward their life and sports goals. Beyond helping the child athlete develop their skills to become a great athlete, parents or guardians must also help them grow personally to become a great person.
While soccer is a beautiful game, the most beautiful game is called life. There will be challenges, mistakes, losses, and victories in life, sports, and health. What matters most is how you handle them and what you learn from those experiences.
Here are FIVE things to remember as you parent a child athlete:
1. There is power in a family, team, and community.
My family loves the Premier League team Liverpool because of their iconic motto, "You'll never walk alone." Since they were born, we've told our children that they belong to our family and will never be alone. Just as we are their family, we want them to value a team or other community similar to how we value our family: here to support them and be by their side no matter what. Regardless of what they are going through, they are loved, wanted, and will never have to walk alone. This is the power of a family, team, or community of people who value their members.
2. Have dreams and goals.
Children are sponges, soaking up the environment they're placed in, unaware of their talents. They need time to process their experiences and to determine what is important to them. As they grow, they will form ideas about life and their aspirations. Encourage them to have dreams and goals at a young age. Their dreams and goals may change as they continue to grow, but encourage them to always look forward to something as they experience their life journey.
3. Diversity of mind and experience
Imagine if Pele, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo were the only athletes who ever lived. This would be unfortunate since many personal experiences and other athletes influenced these greats' success stories. Diversity in ideas and experiences is essential to success. In finance, a diversified portfolio typically yields higher returns than a uniform one. Help your child recognize the value of learning from their coach, mentor, teammates, and other sports experiences. Encourage them to be open to different styles. Expose them to multiple perspectives and activities so that they can forge their unique synergistic greatness.
4. Greatness takes time.
If achieving success were easy, everyone would do it. Greatness requires time, work, and focus to achieve success and reap its rewards. Don't quit too soon or look for an easy way in. Teach your child very early in life the idea that there are no shortcuts to success. Once your child finds popular athletes that they admire, remind them of what it took for that person to become admired or accomplished. Tell them how many years it took before their hero joined a famous club or how long it took for their doctor or other leader to become a success.
5. Balanced protection of the mind, body, and spirit
Children are impressionable and need guidance. The best way we can help the child athlete is to protect their mind, body, and spirit in a balanced manner. Many children are over-scheduled with packed calendars with school, practice, games, and other events. They need parents or guardians who will ensure balance among school, practices, games, and other activities. Children need time for fun, family, and physical and mental recovery. Protect your kid's mindspace and body by balancing activities with good nutrition, sleep, and recovery.
