Kids in Sports | Character Building | JBM Thinks

A new year is a time for fresh starts. If you’ve made mistakes in your sports parenting in the past, it’s never too late to begin anew. This year, as the ball drops and a new year begins, resolve with me to: 1. Love your child before the game.Express your support and love in such [...]

Before you dream about having your son play professional baseball, you may want to think twice.  Being a minor or major league player is a tough road. And after reading The Ball Player, by Clay Snellgrove, I was reminded once again that behind all the glitz and glory of pro sports is a world of [...]

Individual vs. team sports: is one better than the other? A sports parent asks: None of my kids are playing traditional team sports.  My college student is taking Kung Fu classes, which suits him perfectly and my high school student is in marching band (which I consider a team sport).  Their dad, however, is concerned [...]

Every kid deals with childhood fears. And yes I Love Lucy, is still showing re-runs. I came across one the other day. Couldn’t resist watching. Lucy’s son, “Little Ricky” was ready to go out on stage and play the drums when Mom said,”Don’t be nervous…don’t get stage fright.” And of course, he did get nervous and did [...]

It’s a fact of life that athletes get hurt when playing sports. But there are ways to help prevent injuries.  They are simple ways, really. Not rocket science. But the problem is, even though sports parents and athletes know these common-sense guidelines, they still forget to practice them.  Read article.           [...]

ENOUGH! Is your young athlete saying that to you? Maybe not in words. In fact, she may not even know that her actions are saying it. There are warning signs that scream “ENOUGH!”, indicators that your child is dangerously close to sports burnout. Burnout is serious.  If ignored, it can lead to anxiety, depression, and [...]

Last week I wrote a post on What to expect when you’re expecting an athlete and briefly mentioned the 3 Rs of sportsparenting: relax, rejoice, and release your athletes. I want to say more about those 3 Rs because they are so important to you as a sportsparent. If you really want to help your [...]

Kids are supposed to learn from parents all the time, aren’t they? After all, we’re the smart ones, the ones with more life experience–at least that’s what I always tell my kids. But sometimes, our kids surprise us. Their lives teach us lessons, if we are humble enough to learn. And that’s what my “little” [...]