Are you a pushy dad? If so, you could be setting up your kid to hate sports for the rest of their life. Sure, sports are a great way to build strength and get exercise. But piling on the pressure is hardly the best way to get your kid interested in them for life. Let’s face it; we’ve all seen the soccer moms and dads, screaming at their kids for the sidelines. It might be commonplace, but it’s certainly not healthy.
It’s not the only thing that parents do either. Check out these ways that parents make their kids hate sports.
They Live Through Your Kids
Here’s some advice from parenting 101: don’t live through your children. It’s a bad idea because it makes them entirely dependent on what you think. They end up spending all their time focusing on you. And they neglect to explore the rest of the world around them. As a result, they lose interest in mastering their environment and instead only care about managing you. Does that sound good? No, it doesn’t.
They Make Them Do Sports They Hate
Kids, like adults, have their own tastes and preferences. And because tastes and preferences are so varied, it’s unlikely that they’ll love all of the official team sports. Therefore, you might have to get a little inventive when it comes to the sports they do.
There are plenty of options to choose from. If they like doing tricks on their BMX or skateboard, how about getting them a trick scooter? If they like swimming, why not book some lessons at the local baths? If they’re into hiking, why not whisk them off to the hills? Choose something they actually like doing, even if it’s not some combination of football, lacrosse, and baseball.
They Compare Their Kids To Other Kids
When it comes to sport, your kid wants to impress you. But when parents compare their children to other kids, they take it personally. Often parents don’t even realize they’re doing any comparing. They might just say something like, “Mildred has great technique.” But the kid just hears, “my technique isn’t as good as Mildred’s.” For some kids, competition is a call to action and a reason to work harder. But for many kids, it’s a reason to stop playing and to do something else. So if you’re parent, avoid making comparisons with your kid and others. Don’t comment on their technique. Just ask them if they felt proud of what they achieved in the pitch. Feign ignorance if you have to.
They Overschedule Their Kids
The family timetable in today’s world is about as hectic as it gets. Parents are forever rushing to take their children to one after-school club after another. A couple of clubs a week is okay for most kids. But having your child stay up late, day after day probably isn’t a good idea. They’ll get burnt out. And then you’ll wonder why they never seem to want to turn up to soccer practice.
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