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Make sure that your child knows that win or lose,
scarred or heroes, you love him or her, appreciate the efforts, and are
not disappointed in him or her.
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Try your best to be completely honest about your
child's athletic capability, competitive attitude, sportsmanship, and his
or her actual skill level.
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Be helpful, but do not coach your child on the way to
the field or court or on the way back.
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Teach you child to enjoy the thrill of competition. Do
not say, "Winning does not count," because it does.
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Try not to relive your athletic life through your child
in a way that creates pressure because of your pride.
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Do not compete with the coach; in many cases the coach
becomes somewhat of a hero to the athletes.
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Do not compare the skill, courage, or attitude of your
child with that of other members of the team.
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Get to know the coach so that you can be sure that his
or her philosophy, attitudes, ethics, and knowledge are such that you are
happy to expose your child to him or her.
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Remember that students tend to exaggerate both when
praised or criticized. Temper your reactions when they bring home tales of
woe or heroics.
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Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that
it is relative. All of us must know courage. Courage is not absence of
fear, it is actually doing something in spite of fear.
