Kids in Sports | Character Building | JBM Thinks

Sometimes kids want to talk, and sometimes they don’t. There may be days when your young athlete comes home from a practice  or game ready to chat and tell you about the plays he is learning or the points she scored in the scrimmage. And then, inevitably there are days when your child comes home, [...]

Perhaps the best way for you as a sports parent to help your child cope with losing is to put yourself in his shoes for a few minutes. Remember when you lost that job you wanted? That promotion you put in for? That house that you bid on? That student government election? Even if you [...]

It’s not fun to watch  your child struggle, fail, and suffer discouragement. If you’re like me, you want to figure out how to make it better right away. Like putting a bandaid on a scrape, we want to find an emotional bandaid that covers up the ugly stuff. Although we can’t give our child “bounce [...]

Kids quit playing sports for lots of reasons. In fact, 70% stop playing by the age of 13 (National Alliance for Sports). If your child starts a sport, there’s a good chance that sooner or later, he will claim, “I want to quit!” What will you do when he does? Before you help him decide [...]

It all starts out so fun. But somewhere along the journey, sports becomes serious business to many athletes. And that’s okay.  But it’s NOT okay when athletes are so overloaded that they experience sports burnout. Last week’s post on 10 signs that your athlete has had enough pointed to the challenge of recognizing the problem [...]

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 [...]

Everyone makes mistakes. But an athlete’s errors get more publicity. Not only are their mistakes seen by team mates and spectators, they are often broadcast in the local news. I want to cringe when I see young athletes get press for their errors, but unfortunately, it’s all part of the game. Help your child deal [...]

My friend Justin is a dad. His kids played sports and even though they don’t play now, he is in tune with sports in his community. This past week, frustrated from watching the politics involved in the local pop warner “try-outs”, he blogged his own story of beating the odds in high school. I want [...]

Admit it. There are moments, or hours, or even days, when you hate being a sports parent. If it hasn’t happened to you yet, I can promise you it will, if your kids stay in sports. And there’s a lot to hate: The drama. The traveling. The money. The politics. The unfairness. The frustration of [...]

The Steelers are feeling it this morning. Losing is not fun. Especially in such a big game. Although I’m sure the fact that they get a humongous bonus, win or lose, helps dull the pain. Every now and then, our kids have their own “super bowls”.  Playoff games, arch rival meetings, championship games. Games that [...]