• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Header Logo
  • About Us
  • Podcast
  • Blog
    • All Articles
    • A Healthy Athlete
    • Coaching and Team Culture
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports Parenting
    • High Performance
    • Mindset and Mental Health
    • Girls Sports
    • Ask Dr. Sam
  • Inspiration & Humor
  • Videos
  • Join the Community
Facebook Instagram Twitter youtube pinterest

As seen in

17 Ways I’m Going To Be A Better Sports Parent In 2021

  • 558shares
  • 530
  • 28

17 WAYS I’M GOING TO BE A BETTER SPORTS PARENT IN 2021

1. I WILL SPEAK UP TO THEIR COACHES and enforce the rules with my own kids when they’re not taking COVID safety seriously.

2.I WILL KEEP QUIET AFTER GAMES. Unless I’m asked my opinions about how they played or observations about the game, I will keep to myself

The Best At-Home Workouts For Your Athlete

3. I WILL NOT CARE MORE ABOUT MY KIDS’ SUCCESS IN THEIR SPORT THAN THEY DO. They will drive their own bus – however much they want to push, I will help them achieve their goals. But the motivating force will be them, not me

4. I WILL RELAX AND APPRECIATE THE SLOW DOWN FROM COVID instead of panicking about their training and what we are missing.

5. I WILL NOT OVER-ANALYZE THEIR COACHES. They will have great, good, and bad coaches throughout their sporting careers. I will not make it my job to fix this when it’s not ideal.

6. OUR FAMILY WILL PLAY TOGETHER MORE AND FIND UNIQUE WAYS TO WORKOUT TOGETHER DURING COVID BREAKS. We will do more fun outdoor activities like hiking and running and playing sports together, just for fun.

7. I WILL BE A BETTER ROLE MODEL by eating healthier, working out more, and getting off my devices more often – instead of just demanding they do.

8. I WILL MAKE INJURY PREVENTION A PRIORITY. With so many practices and games, we spend too much time on performance and not enough time on making sure their growing bodies are taken care of properly. Each of my kids has a program for stretching and building strength in weak and overused areas, but we can never find the time to do the 15-minute regimens. I will work this into their schedules.

How One Family Got Off The Hamster Wheel During Covid

9. I WILL ALLOW THEM THE FREEDOM TO FAIL. Instead of always trying to be one step ahead of their next misstep, I will sit back more and allow them to experience natural consequences, both positive and negative, of their choices.

10. I WILL FIND MORE TIME OR MAKE THE TIME FOR MORE IMPORTANT  PURSUITS like spiritual, altruistic, and fun. Sports has swallowed up the time we used to make for volunteering, religious endeavors, and simply finding hobbies our kids enjoy.

11. I WILL NOT OVERANALYZE THEIR FOOD AND SLEEP like they are competing in an Olympic event instead of a youth soccer game.

12. I WILL NOT GIVE THEM GRIEF FOR WANTING TO TAKE A DAY OFF OR EVEN A WEEK OFF.  Instead, I will have real discussions about what they’re feeling and why they’re feeling that way and try to develop solutions that work for them.

13. I WILL VALUE ARTISTIC AND CREATIVE PURSUITS OF MY CHILDREN THE SAME AS I DO THEIR ATHLETIC.  And this won’t be passive; it will be actively choosing to have the same interest and support in whatever my children pursue.

14. I WILL LEARN AND UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THEIR SPORT AND THEIR POSITION, instead of ignorantly commenting on things I’m only guessing about.

15. I WILL STOP SPENDING A SMALL FORTUNE ON THEIR SPORTS.  I WILL STOP SPENDING A SMALL FORTUNE ON THEIR SPORTS.  Some are fixed costs, like club dues, gear, and travel costs. But I will do my best to reduce spending on private lessons and take advantage of what the teams have to offer for extra training and additional practices instead of privates. Perhaps design a budget template to keep my spending within certain boundaries each month. I will also make them more accountable for their stuff – water bottles, sweatshirts, balls, so we are not buying new ones constantly.

16. I WILL NOT BE A FULL-TIME CHAUFFEUR spending less time in the car and more time on things that are important to me as my work and getting into better shape. I will carpool more, create a more consistent schedule within my carpools, and workout during their practices.

17. I WILL TELL THEM 💛 TO WATCH THEM PLAY CONSISTENTLY instead of what they need to do better.

Primary Sidebar

  • Too Many Girls Struggle to Take Up Space in Sports
  • Raising Sisters in Sports and What the Humphrey Family Got Right
  • When Grandparents Attend Youth Sports Events
  • ☀️Youth Sports Summer Survival Guide: 10 Things Every Parent Needs
  • Raising A Goalkeeper
  • If All Else Fails: How Brain-Based Therapy Can Help Athletes Overcome Mental Blocks, Injuries, and Slumps 

Categories

  • A Healthy Athlete
  • Sports Parenting
  • Coaching and Team Culture
  • High Performance
  • Lifestyle
  • Mindset

Footer

WHAT'S TRENDING IN YOUTH SPORTS?
Asia Mape Video
follow us
facebook instagram twitter youtube pinterest

We Believe In The Power Of Sports

Injuries in young athletes have soared. Costs to compete have skyrocketed. Kids are quitting in record numbers. But we believe strongly in youth sports, and the many ways it improves our childrens’ lives.

We are here to help parents regain balance and sanity, and to help restore the joy, accomplishment, and core values derived from sports.

Begin your journey today.

 

More About Us

Join the Community

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for the latest news, articles, inspiration, stats, funny videos, tips and everything you need if you are a parent or coach in youth sports, delivered right to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About the founder

According to a survey conducted over 30 years by two coaches and athletic administrators about what young athletes want to hear most from their parents after a sporting event, it turns out it is: “I love to watch you play.”

Become a Contributor

Advertising/Media

Contact

Privacy Policy/Amazon Affiliate Notification

Copyright 2025 © I Love To Watch You Play. All rights reserved. | Accessibility Feedback | Developed by Tiny Frog Technologies

Join Our Community

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for the latest news, articles, inspiration, stats, funny videos, tips and everything you need if you are a parent or coach in youth sports, delivered right to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for our newsletter
  • Sign up for our weekly newsletter for the latest news, articles, inspiration, stats, funny videos, tips and everything you need if you are a parent or coach in youth sports delivered right to your inbox!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.