Children and Sports

January 9, 2006

Parents can help their young child's sense of self worth through exercise and sports.
Attending as many games as possible is very important. If you cannot attend a game be upfront about it so your child does not get anxious or angry if you aren't there. Never underestimate the power of attending your child's games. My husband and I both worked but one of the greatest priorities was to witness our children's games. Our children are 27 and 30 years old and they constantly tell us how much it meant to them that we were there and their memories are rich because of that.

Learn about the sport your child is interested in. This gives you a wonderful avenue to have conversations and more interaction with your child.
After the games make sure you create some quality "talk time" with your child. Create rituals such as eating together after the game, getting a soda, eating a snack or going for ice cream. Our grown children were into sports and today we laugh and share loving stories about the places we ate after games and some of the interesting places we have had ice cream.

Encourage your child to talk about experiences during the game. Listen to how she/he is dealing with a variety of issues. Some experiences that can create great discussions are; technical fouls, someone hitting another player, a player calling the referee a name, the coach’s actions or the fairness of the game.

Sports are one of the most powerful ways to impart your "family values" into your child by sharing experiences and openly discussing the justice or injustice of the experience.
This is a great opportunity for the parent to model positive behavior to a child. A child mirrors a parent’s behavior and sports define so much of your values and morals.
Sports are an invaluable lesson in the value of community, making friends and learning about teamwork. You learn to share victory and defeat. Our daughter is a physician at Georgetown and we talk quite a bit about how sports have affected her life as a physician. She shares information, is a good communicator, shares the limelight and realizes good medical care is a team effort, just like in sports.

A parent can push their child too hard in sports. Pay close attention to your child’s behavior and it may tell you if you are pushing too hard. There are some specific behaviors to be aware of.

Does your child distance him/her self from you? Does your child hide out in her/his room, have little or no eye contact, engage in fits of anger or act in an aggressive manner?
There may also be physical signs of stress in your child. Be aware of your child experiencing stomach aches, gastrointestinal disorders, headaches or chronic tiredness.
There are also psychological signs of stress. Is your child angry, withdrawn, anxious, depressed or complaining?

If you are very concerned about any of these symptoms in your child call your pediatrician or family physician. Your child may need an examination or referral to a specialist for care.
It is important not to underestimate the positive power that sports can play in the development of your child’s future.