Their total self-image becomes derived from their latest performance on the tennis court. These children develop a win at all costs mentality which can stay with them throughout their entire lives. This feeling of inadequacy can affect all aspects of the child's life. Many feel that they should stay as detached as possible. Simply drop the kids off at their lessons and come back in an hour to pick them up.
Parents are unbelievably important because no one knows a child like a parent.
As far as the dynamics between the parent and the child, the solution lies in the same place as in all aspects of effective parenting, communication. Or, the parents are deaf to any statements from their children about their true feelings. That tells me something about the parent, but nothing about the child. To study this subject, Braden interviewed and videotaped a number of children and their tennis parents, usually the parent who was the most invested in the child's tennis, the one who drove them to their lessons and tournaments. The following comments from one mother and her daughter were, according to Braden, quite typical.