Be a Good Sports Parent for Your Future Olympian … or Not Future Olympian

Watching the Olympics typically inspires many children to want to compete in the Olympics themselves. So what does that mean for you as a parent if your child is one of the ones who wants to compete in the Olympics someday?

Obviously, it might mean changes in how often your child trains or other details that can be decided by your child’s coach. In the most important ways, how you approach sports as a parent doesn’t need to change whether or not your child will ever compete in the Olympics.

The Six Words Your Kids Want to Hear from You

If your kids are involved in sports (Olympic aspirations or not), be sure to read “What Makes A Nightmare Sports Parent — And What Makes A Great One.” Also read “The Only Six Words Parents Need to Say to Their Kids about Sports – or Any Performance.” And don’t miss “6 Words You Should Say Today.”

I think it’s fascinating that the six words athletes want to hear from their parents are “I love to watch you play.” I was lucky that I felt that way even though I didn’t know those were the best words to use. I just happened to like watching my kids perform. I loved to watch my kids skate, I loved to watch my daughter dance, and I loved to watch my son DJ. I said those words quite often … maybe because I was surprised at how much I really did love to watch my kids do their sport or performance.

Other Helpful Words

If you read the second article above, you saw some other helpful words highlighted. I wrote more about some of those words in these two articles: “Don’t Forget These Two Words before a Competition Performance” and “Don’t Forget the Three Most Important Words before a Competition Performance.”

What to Focus on as a Sports Parent

In my post “Raising an Elite Athlete,” I have links to a number of posts with details about my family’s sports experiences and what worked for us. In general, if you focus on following your child’s interests and developing your child’s character through sports, you’ll be the least likely to have any regrets … and your whole family will have a lot more fun. 🙂

Note: I have lots of word-art inspiration at the Bits of Positivity Facebook page and on Pinterest!

Image by sayu.