To all the new moms and parents who have recently joined the world of sports, it can be confusing. For you and your young athlete, here are some tips to help build confidence with positivity.

Intention

First, hold dear to your heart the intention of why you are doing this with and for your young athlete. It isn’t for them to HAVE to win or score every game. Being in middle school sports is to learn a sport, have fun, and build their confidence level.

Honestly, as a mom who raised two scholar athletes, having them do their sport is not about winning or to focus only on what they do. It is important to focus on the big picture of what they have in mind to accomplish.

Being Positive

Secondly, most young athletes want to learn all they can about their sport so that one day they may play in college. By supporting them with cheers, you increase their confidence. If you only focus on whether they win or lose, it makes them feel bad. Be sure to tell them it doesn’t matter if they lose. Cheering them during the game with positivity is truly all the job is for moms and parents.

Quite honestly, no one remembers who won or lost. If you must know, all that matters is that your young athlete learns the skills to help them up their game. As my daughter went from 7^th grade to 8^th grade travel team for volleyball, others only remembered her skills and sportsmanship.

Avoid Gossip

Third, as a parent, avoid being the one who makes poor statements with the groups of other parents: “Well those mothers, I think are …….” “Did you hear about……?”
It is so easy to get sucked into the way others act. Don’t let your guard down and guard your energy. Being with other parents in a sport doesn’t mean they are your friends or will protect you. Protect yourself and don’t engage in these groups. Positivity trumps all.

Last, when you put these all together, you can see that it is all nothing but a building block. Whether your child plays a sport, a musical instrument, or joins a debate club, every practice and game is to put them into the arena to build their skill and confidence.

Make That Change

If you find you’re a parent who made negative remarks toward your child after a game, it’s never a total loss. If you realize your comments have been a bit cruel towards them, it can easily be removed with an apology and new strategies.

Being a parent of a young athlete has its strategies too. However, once you recall your intention and bring along positivity with the sport drink and food, you are on the right path to give out confidence.

A Book to Help

My book, Parenting Scholar Athletes, explains how I raised my scholar athletes to become successful athletes. It helps moms and parents guide their young athletes toward their dream of playing their sport in college. As I use spiritual strategies along with real-life stories of adversity, my book helps parents. It successfully tackles this life of parenting a student athlete. I hope it helps.