Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports
As the mother of triplet boys, de Lench knows plenty about being a spectator at youth sports events. What she offers here is a thoughtful account of how mothers can use the strengths they routinely engender in their children at home to help them succeed on the field, on the court, or in the pool. She makes a good case for more motherly involvement in youth sports, noting that while mothers are naturally intuitive, even-tempered, and caring, they don't necessarily have to sacrifice all the elements that make sports such a male-dominated endeavor, such as competition, drive, and tenacity. De Lench outlines her strategies for Mom-involvement clearly and includes helpful chapters on coaching girls, dealing with abuse, avoiding injuries, making sound nutritional choices, and other common topics sure to be helpful to parents of sports-playing kids. Some of her rules might be a little inflexible (such as allowing only three hours of practice per week for children under 12), but all families will find something useful in this valuable book. For parents and coaches of children of all ages.Mary Frances WilkensCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved