Kids participate in sports for two major reasons- to have fun and to feel successful. Unfortunately, some adults want children to play for other reasons - and that's where the trouble starts. It's perfectly natural for parents to identify with their child, but many adults live their unfulfilled dreams through the youngster. In addition, some adults see their child's performance on the playing field as a reflection of the parent's own self-worth and success. This places unrealistically high goals on the child and takes the fun out of playing.
Parents also have to set an example and watch their behavior at games and practices.
The kinds of support parents give their children can make sports fun and rewarding. The right coach can make a child's athletic exposure a good one, but the wrong one can turn your child off to sports for good. Coaches should not be allowed to yell or scream at any child, condemn a kid for poor play, punish them if they lose, or criticize a youngster in front of others. Many parents are afraid to report a coach who recruits players from outside the neighborhood or helps children lose weight to make team limits. Kids learn from parents.