Status is something that adults tends to care a lot about,
and, unfortunately, they sometimes let their concerns about status affect their
kids. This is especially true in the world of hockey parents, in which many
parents think it’s an absolute must that their kids land a spot on an AAA team
and then will do anything and everything to make sure that their kids keep that
spot.
In reality, though, this is just plain silly and can be
harmful to a child by putting too much pressure on him or her. At the end of
the day, youth hockey is just that- YOUTH hockey. It is not a professional
sport, so it doesn’t really matter what team your kid is on or if it’s an AAA
team. What matters more is that your child is part of a supportive team where
he can learn and grow as an athlete and, even more importantly, as a person.
The best way to take the “status” element out of youth
hockey is to, first of all, when you search for a league for your child to
join, not pay attention to its status or prestige. Instead, look for teams with
good coaches that support and encourage their players and treat everyone
equally and also give each player equal playing time and, thus, equal time to
learn and grow.
Secondly, once your child is on a team, don’t make too big a
deal over his performance, whether it’s good or bad. If you start bragging
about your player and getting your own worth from him or her, you’re setting
yourself up to become overly status conscious. And, if your child isn’t the
best player on the team, you also shouldn’t panic because, after all, it’s just
a game. Focus on fun and personal growth, and everything else will fall into
place.
The bottom line is that, even if you hope your kid will “go
pro” one day, there’s no need to start out on serious, upper level teams
super early. In fact, doing so can quickly lead to burn-out for your young
player. Instead, push status aside and focus on fun and learning to love the
sport. At the end of the day, that’s really the only thing that matters.
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