This article by Bruce E. Brown of Proactive Coaching LLC, from the Parents and Coaches Working Together collection, is drawn from the presentation "The Role of Parents in Athletics." Based on what athletes themselves told Brown over 30+ years of coaching, it presents five things athletes want from their parents: share their goals and expectations, be there and be positive, see the big picture, focus on the most important lessons sport can teach, and release your child to the whole experience.
Introduction
The following information is from Proactive Coaching's presentation to parents called The Role of Parents in Athletics (also on DVD and in booklet form). Contact Proactive Coaching at www.proactivecoaching.ai to find out how you can schedule a speaker to do the entire presentation for your organization.
The involvement of parents in the athletic experience of their children is a given. Without question, all parents should be part of this area of potential growth. But it is often a larger responsibility than realized. Their involvement affects their own child, the coach, the rest of the team, the other parents and the officials. How they choose to be involved often will become the reflective memories their sons or daughters have of the whole athletic experience. Athletics are a very valuable part of the educational process. Parents can be an important part of making participation in sports a worthwhile experience for their child. However, they also have the power to take away from the value. Following are some tips from a coach who is on the inside looking out into the stands.