As a parent of a child involved in youth sports, it’s likely that you have probably noticed how serious and intense many leagues can be like today. In fact, many parents have told me that they sometimes feel as though they are watching mini-professional athletes playing to win at all cost, instead of seeing kids learning, growing, and maturing through the athletic experience. As the emphasis on winning continues to be paramount in many youth sport leagues, it is important we maintain a healthy balance and take time to identify “teachable moments” in sports where kids can learn respect and sportsmanship.Interestingly, while we often hope for our children to win with grace, lose with dignity, and always display appropriate sportsmanship to teammates and opponents, when we as adults model terribly inappropriate behaviors all of these hopes quickly become diminished. Sportsmanship encompasses far more than begrudgingly shaking an opponents hand after a game, it involves everything you do from the moment you arrive at the park until the time you leave. Sportsmanship is a prosocial behavior that your child can learn through sports, as well as apply to all relationships outside of sports, too.
Dr. Chris Stankovich is a national expert in the field of sport psychology, and offers an entire line of sport performance & life skills video, audio, and other products for parents, student athletes, and coaches. To learn more, or to contact Dr. Stankovich directly, please visit http://www.drstankovich.com/
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