Positive Parenting in Sports by Former Major Leaguer Jack Perconte

Love of the Game – Love is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the letter L. The term is often loosely used by parents when speaking about their kid’s interest in a sport. “He/She loves to play” is a common statement and, when true, it is a great thing. The problem that I see when I hear that statement is that often it is the parent who loves the sport and the one who loves the attention their son or daughter receive becasue of their child’s success at the sport.  People should realize that love takes time to develop and should not be mistaken for success. As mentioned it is a great thing when a player loves to play but parents should be careful not to fall in love with the attention their child gets from playing. When this happens, parents tend to push too hard when kids fail at the sport or when their kid decides they no longer want to continue playing. Positive parenting suggsts that parents be careful of not subjecting their own love of something on their child’s agenda. Obviously, it is OK to enjoy the success one’s child may be having and be proud of them and their achievements, but to be careful of becoming dependent on their kid’s success and becoming “pushy” parents.