Am I A Bad Athlete’s Parent?

Do you live your own athletic dream through your son or daughter?

Are your expectations too high?

Do you argue with everyone (parents, officials)?

Are you coaching from the side-line?

Do you think that every opponent of your child plays unfair or cheats?

Do you criticize other kids in the team?

Do you push your child too much, not letting him or her have a normal life outside of sports?

Do you get mad at your child and blame him/her for bad results?

Do you swear and complain out loud during your child’s game?

Are you constantly bragging about your child?

Do you loudly criticize your child in public?

Do you treat your child differently after a loss than a win?

Do you put too much pressure on your child?

Based on your answers, it’s unlikely that you are a bad athlete’s parent. That is the result we all like to see! All parents need to help and support their kids who play sports in a way that doesn’t hinder the child’s enjoyment. However, there are some parents who just don’t know how to behave and may ruin it for their child. Sports is important to learn life’s lessons about winning and losing, about teamwork and humility. Help your kid to make it a meaningful, but mostly fun experience! And if your child is really motivated to pursue a career in sports, that is a bonus.

Based on your answers you are displaying some signs of a bad athlete’s parent. It’s time to analyze your own behavior and understand where you can improve. The most common reason for youth athletes to experience a burnout is overbearing parents. This type of parents force an unrealistic expectation upon their child to succeed. This may damage the child’s love for the game or sports, but it can also negatively influence their self-confidence. All a parent should want is their child to be happy and do what they love to do. Their sports experience should be a fun and positive one, not a stressful one.

Unfortunately, you are displaying the signs typically seen among individuals who are a bad athlete’s parent. All that should matter to you as a parent is that your child is happy and that sports should be fun. And fun of course does not mean that no one gets tired and that everyone is happy all the time – but it does mean that athletes should enjoy what they are doing. At the end of the day, it’s only a game! As a parent, you should remember to watch, support and love your athletic child.