At ‘Working with Parents in Sport’ we talk a lot about organisations having a consistent and clear culture and philosophy so that parents can buy into, knowing where they stand and what to expect before their child starts playing at that particular club.
Undoubtedly, some organisations and clubs lack a clear culture and philosophy so we thought we would try to help parents create a successful sports culture at home regardless of what may be happening elsewhere. At least this one is very much under the parent’s and the child’s control.
- Teach your child to be humble – humility is a valuable trait
- Teach your child good manners, to respect what they are doing and respect the people they are coached by and play with
- Always look for your child to improve – don’t let them ever be satisfied with what they are achieving
- Ensure your child is ‘intrinsically’ motivated and not motivated by external rewards
- Get your child to be accountable and take ownership of their sporting experience (organising kit, fitting in homework)
- Create a learning environment – encourage them to work hard and improve in all that they do on a daily basis and praise them for their processes and not always the outcomes
- Encourage risk taking with their sport – then use any failure as an opportunity to learn
- Set the bar high – even if your child doesn’t get there they will have made more progress than having low aspirations
- Keep it real – don’t fuel your child’s ego – they are not a superstar
- Encourage and praise positive character traits – honesty, creativity, resilience, self organisation, successful time keeping
Many of these traits not only apply in a sporting context but also to any real life situation. If your child is operating under these conditions then there is every chance that your child will be successful in some form or another.
‘Always remember that better people make better sportsmen and women.’
