I get it. You are stressed. You are scared your kid might miss out on
some opportunity. I feel that too. We work hard so our kids can have
advantages that we never had. It's hard to keep up with the Joneses.
It's hard to know who to believe. But we never had this kind of pres-
sure back in the 1980s when we were kids. Do you even remember the
scores from your THIRD -grade games? I don't.
Please, for everyone's sake, but especially your own kids, calm down.
Enjoy the moment. Watch them with pride when they succeed, and
watch them with pride when they fail. If you want to jeer and holler
at a game, go to a professional one.
But here, on this sideline, let's remember these are kids. That it is
just a game. That referees are human. That no one is turning pro, and
no scholarships are being handed out today.
Let's model good behavior and put it all in perspective for our chil-
dren. They are here learning how to play a game with other kids with
all of its ups and downs and trials and life lessons and friendships.
They are not here to boost our self-esteem.
They are not there to entertain us.
They have only one childhood.
Please let kids be kids.
Please let them fall in love with the game.
Please let them play.
And please, just let me watch in peace.
P
Thanks,
A Normal Sports Parent
(Reprinted with permission from Changing The Game Project.)
AUGUST 2019 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM
//
25
You had your
chance to play when
you were young. Now
it's your kid's turn. Just
sit back and enjoy the
ride. It will be over
before you
know it.
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