As a
parent, your attitudes, your values, and the words you say have a huge
influence over your children. This is especially true when it comes to sports.
You can make all the difference between your child loving hockey and absolutely
hating it, all without realizing it!
So,
what’s a parent to do? To begin with, understand that your biggest and most
important job is to be supportive and encouraging. You should express love to
your child constantly, both for things not related to sports and things related
to sports; the same goes for praise. Applaud your child when he does something
well, but also be there with a hug and a smile when something doesn’t go as
planned. And, just as you should be supportive and positive with your child,
you should also be positive and respectful toward coaches, teammates, and
others you come into contact with through the sport.
Children pick up on so
much more than we realize, and parents who are constantly belittling other
players or criticizing coaches, even when they think their children aren’t
listening, are teaching disrespect.
Finally,
make sure that you emphasize fun and playing for the sheer joy of playing. If
you make hockey, games, and practicing all one big chore, your child probably
isn’t going to willingly play the sport for very long. Likewise, your child is
probably going to get burnt out pretty quickly if you insist on long daily
practices and drills. Listen to your child and his wants and desires; do not
push children into doing things they don’t want to do and don’t take all of the
joy out of hockey if they are actually interested in it.
Remember,
your job is to be a source of support and love for your children. Give them the
space they need to figure out themselves, their place in the world, and their
place in hockey. With your patient love and encouragement, you child can and
will make the right decisions for himself.
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