By Alex Flanagan
8 Things Young Athletes Wish They Could Tell Parents
- I like it when you come to my games and practices but I want you to be silent most of the time.
- I often value my coach’s opinion more than yours.
- I hate being late. It is important to me that I arrive at games and practices on time.
- I only want your input when I ask for it.
- It is nerve racking and distracting when you yell out instructions to me during an important moment in my game.
- Just because you played the same sport, doesn’t mean your experiences are the same as mine.
- Winning isn’t what I enjoy most about playing.
- Sometimes I wish you would let me be the authority, the one to teach you a skill, rule or technique.
Alex Flanagan co-founded I love to watch you play in 2015. She was flying home from an NFL work assignment when a learning specialist, who was sitting next to her, shared 5 reasons she shouldn’t feel guilty missing her son’s game. She shared their conversation on her own website alexflanagan.com and the response was so overwhelming it inspired her to co-create ILTWYP to help parents like herself navigate youth sports.
