USIndoor's Official Magazine is a quarterly publication, dedicated to owners, managers, program administrators and other professionals, startups and providers involved with indoor recreational sports facilities.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/329973
18 self-esteem? What makes it up?' as I've done with hundreds, thousands of parents over the years, there is no one definition in the room. When I ask, 'How critical is self-esteem?' Almost everyone rates it a nine or ten–friends, family, coaches, teachers–yet they have no plan for building it." A Sense of Belonging A Sense of Confidence A Sense of Worth According to Jeff, all sports should give kids positive self-esteem by providing a sense of belonging, a sense of confidence, and a sense of worth. "Everything else fits into that. A sense of belonging initially comes from your family. Parents discipline their own kids, not the neighbors' kids. Parents think, 'Kids hate discipline.' While, they do not like it in the moment, they crave it in the long- run. They need boundaries. "Imagine a rope bridge over a chasm that's 1000 feet long, and we'll call it the 'Journey of Life.' It's scary to go over it, but you have to. Take the rope handles off. How are you going to go across that bridge? You're going to go across on your face, one inch at a time, not looking around because you're so afraid, and you're pulling yourself across. Put the ropes back on the bridge, you'll stand up, you'll be a little bit afraid, you'll pause at moments when the wind kicks up, but you'll end up, ultimately, enjoying the experience, and you'll continue to move across, to forge on. So, if you don't have boundaries, it's like going across a rope bridge on your face, which is how kids end up going across when the house lacks structure, and the family doesn't provide those boundaries. Part of the sense of belonging comes with those boundaries." Sports provide opportunities for boundaries. "If coaches are really good, they're utilizing those boundaries–not just the field boundaries, but character, behavior–in an environment where there's a sense of something bigger than yourself. The football team or soccer team becomes a family where the coaches serve as parents in a way. The moment a coach makes winning his/her be-all-end-all, that's like a parent raising kids with no boundaries; they don't care about the kids. Teach them process and structure and discipline, the winning may happen." Kids gain confidence when they have competence. Jeff grew up with a dad who could do anything–fix the car, landscape the yard. He was the kind of dad you may have resented as a kid because he made you do things when all you wanted to do was play outside with your friends. As Jeff grew up, though, he appreciated the things he learned how to do. His competence gave him confidence. The more competent we are, the more things we've tried and accomplished, the more eager we are to try new things. Today, kids are very busy with school, and parents tend to let them off the hook. Kids may not have to do chores around the house, for example.