Sports parenting is often a thankless job. It's time-consuming and gawdawful expensive.
Adolescents often play offseason games at inconvenient times (e.g. early), when they're barely awake. And depending on how they played, their mood varies (IYKYK).
Here are a few tips that may resonate:
1. Be positive. Maybe the best words you can say or they can hear are, "I love watching you play."
2. Pack the gym bag the night before with a list (e.g. uniforms, sneakers, extra socks, extra shoelaces, tape, hair ties, band-aids, personal products, meds, contact solution, snacks, hydration, etc.).
3. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Fatigue shows up before thirst.
4. The most useful, least expensive training equipment is a jumprope. Jumping rope helps with coordination, balance, and stamina.
5. Find ways to occupy yourself on the long days sitting on the hard bleachers.
6. Someone loaned me a six part cassette series (late 1980s) on "How to Say No." I only got through one cassette. Big mistake. Adults have to say, "No." That's being the adult.
7. Bonding with the other sports parents was a great part of the experience. They experience the same hopes, dreams, and frustrations as you.
8. Keep a scrapbook. Take pictures and videos and whatever clippings you have from print media. Your children will thank you later.
9. Injuries are unavoidable, one of the worst parts of being a parent. Stretching and proper warmups probably helps. Encourage your children to take ownership.
10.Children hear everything. It's impossible to contain everything all the time. Here's a method for avoiding negativity or 'oversharing'. Talk about baseball. "The Red Sox are killing me" or "Cooperstown isn't casting the bust of Roman Anthony yet." Or another favorite, "Elbow strain? That's the pregame show for ulnar collateral ligament damage and Tommy John surgery."
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