6 Ways to Avoid Being an Overbearing Sport Parent

As a master’s student in counseling and sport psychology at Boston University and a beginner, youth basketball coach, I often meet or hear of crazed parents pushing their child to be a star athlete. It seems like the Lavar Ball’s of youth sport are adding additional pressure onto athletes to perform like they are professionals. Thankfully, researchers from the UK did an extensive dive into research on sport parents to create educational guidelines for sport parents. They outlined 6 ways a parent can be both supportive and engaging with their child-athlete so that they benefit for sport at whichever capacity the child chooses to be involved (Harwood & Knight, 2015).

#1: Find a sport or competition level that is appropriate for your child and take up a supporting role that matches that environment. Once your child shows interest in a sport, do some research to see what opportunities they are in your area based on competition level. For instance, your local YMCA may provide playing opportunities and instruction at the beginner’s level.

#2: Use an authoritative parenting style, rather than authoritarian. While it is generally known that authoritative style is the most ideal parenting style as compared to passive and authoritarian, this is essential in the sporting environment. Researchers found that parenting style can influence your child’s views on sport participation.

#3: Become familiar with the emotional demands of your child’s sport involvement. Your child’s sport demands can include long practice times, strained relations with his or her coach, and bad team dynamics. This all could lead to stress and dissatisfaction with sport participation, but if you are away of the dwindling effects of sport, you could make a difference.

#4: Create a health coach-athlete-parent triad. Work with your child’s coach and your child to build strong bonds and understanding of solid leadership tactics. You want your child to view his or her coach as a role model, but also recognize that not every coach is perfect and you may have to step in to help with conflict resolution.

#5: Be aware of the stress or demands related to the way sport is organized and how this may impact your child’s development. With high competition comes high standards for performance, which can put a strain on your child’s playing experiences. Especially for children who play a single sport for more than 10 hours a week, more than 8 months a year, you should find a healthy balance between your child’s academics, social/ family life, and sport.

#6: As your child becomes more developed, be ready to adapt to their sporting needs. The point of this article is not to vilify youth sport, but to give you tools to uplift your child’s sporting experience. As your child grows closer to sport, you want to use the other guidelines to continue your support for your child. Sport is a remarkable atmosphere for character development and getting insights on life and you can play a role in making it a rewarding experience for your child.

References

Harwood, C. G., & Knight, C. J. (2015). Parenting in youth sport: A position paper on parenting expertise. Psychology of sport and exercise, 16, 24-3