If you are bringing up a child who loves a sport, then one of the biggest challenges is to “just be the parent and nothing more than that.” This perhaps is one of the most important skills to be learnt by every parent who is going to be a “sports parent”.
The parents may feel, knowing the game or having played the sport helps a little or may be a lot, in understanding what the child might be going through just before the competition. Well, the answer is No; everyone else is far and beyond that space in understanding anything that the child may be feeling not only before the competition, but also during and after the competition.
It is impossible to know exactly how many factors are playing on their minds to perform better irrespective of what level they play at. Not easy for anyone, especially the young ones and those still getting grips about the sport and learning to play the sport at a competitive level. The elite or more experienced players additionally also have a good intuit and know their potential and will know how well to use their strengths and weaknesses. But their best will only come if they are themselves.
The key is to let them be themselves and not influence their nerves. Most often, one has seen that the players seem a little nervous. But here is the truth. Feeling nervous is good!! It is an indication of being ready to compete. Even the leading players in the world feel nervous, but they are successful because they also have the ability to deal with those nerves. This strength comes from within. So, parents need to learn to keep it simple, make it easy for their child to perform in bringing out their best. It is interesting to know that there are more “Don’ts” than “Do’s” for parents. And it is far more challenging to make this a habit and keep up with your child’s growth as a sports person.
Many a times, parents overlook the fact that the child has his or her own expectations, which arise from their confidence, game and experience of knowing what they do well. They want to put up their finest performance every time and parents may just add to this expectation by doing or saying a few things, often in complete ignorance only to add to their expectations.
