Are You A Side-Line Coach
With spring in the air, flower’s and baseball are in full bloom. As the father
of a nine-year old son, each day is spent perfecting the art of baseball. This
includes making that perfect pitch to first base, snagging those ground balls
and driving those hits when we’re in the batters box. Oh, did I say we, sorry,
I meant, when my son is in the batters box.
My son and I haven’t quit practicing baseball since last year. You see, he
loves baseball and as many young players, has dreams of growing up to play
Major League Baseball. For this reason, I must make sure he’s doing everything
right, avoiding any mistakes humanly possible, or should I?
Before my son started playing baseball, we would often go to the ballpark and
watch other kids practice and play. One thing I found amusing and often
disturbing was parent involvement and sideline coaching to the point of
disrupting the entire game. To my dismay, I vowed to never be this sort of
parent.
Oh, how we tend to forget those famous words, “I’ll never be that kind of
parent”. It usually starts out with a simple shout from the stands “pay
attention” or “get your head in the game” and then before you know it, your
standing on the side, shouting and pointing out every mistake your child
makes. Thankfully, I haven’t reached this point, although it has been brought
to my attention that my scorning frowns and sideline presence are quite
distracting.
It is so important for parents to remember, these are youth sports. These are
our children and they need our support and encouragement. We as parents have
to let our children have fun and learn at their own pace. My son brought this
to my attention when he said “dad, I know when I mess up but it makes me play
worse when you look like you’re mad at me”.
Sports play a very important role in teaching children how to function in
society and being able to work as a team. As parents support and encourage
your children to play sports. Have fun!
Author: Charles French
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