One of the greatest times in my life was the 5 years I spent coaching T-Ball and Little League baseball. There is no greater joy for a parent or coach than seeing the look in a young persons eye when they first hit a pitch, catch that fly ball or score a run.
“Did you see that Dad”?! “I did it Mom, I did it”! Hearing those words as a coach is all the payment required for giving up your weekends and evenings. Which is a good thing since we never received any payment. Like a Dolphin at Sea World, we work for the fish we are thrown.
Children are a sponge just waiting to absorb all we have to teach. Unfortunately, when it comes to sports, not all lessons would have Ghandi or Mother Teresa waving pom poms in your corner. As a coach, you must also serve as an umpire for the games. I once ejected one of my own players for trying to trip a runner as he crossed home plate. After the game, I was verbally threatened and had my car window broken. All in view of the child. What lesson was learned on that day?
Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its life believing it is stupid”. This is never more true than when dealing with children involved in sports.
If every child was phenomenal at sports, we would not have any doctors, chefs, mechanics or Little League weekend volunteer coaches. Still it comes to pass that verbal disappointment yelled from the stands can, and does, undo any lesson of teamwork the child may have learned or any love of the game that the child might have had.
Look at a group of kids playing basketball in a park, or baseball in a field with no supervision and see them laughing. Throw one condescending parent into that mix and watch them all tense up to the point of failure.
Sports are a bonding opportunity for children and parents alike. One of the first team building experiences we have in our lives. Arguably one of the most important. All of our focus as parents should be to ensure it is a healthy one. At least I believe it as such.
by Chip Byers