By Mike Green

To determine your role as a sports parent, you first have to ask yourself, what do you want your child to take from their sports experience? Some parents want their child to be active, some want them to learn social skills, some want them to learn how to compete and some want them to achieve something more.

There are many reasons as to why we put our kids in sports. Most parents would chose the reasons stated above, but then they put pressure on their kid to always win, or be one of the best on the team. This pressure often has a negative impact on the experience for your child, and eventually drives them away from the game.

Your role as a youth sports parent is strictly to support your child. Not to coach them, not to criticize the coach, not to criticize the officials. Unless you are putting in the extra hours to be the coach, your role is simply to support your child and the coach. Be sure to tell them how much you liked watching them play, regardless if they won or lost.

If you remember that youth sports are for your child, not you, they will have a great experience and get the most benefit from the sport.

Mike Green is a coach for The Sports Family Club, a website dedicated to enriching the lives of children through sports and activities. For more information on The Sports Family Club visit http://thesportsfamilyclub.org/home