Win or Lose?
When you become a sports parent, you take an oath to always be there for your child. Win or lose, you will love them; win or lose, you will respect them; win or lose, you will accept them with all of their strengths and limitations. The oath of sports parenthood can even be more binding than marriage, because a child can’t go out and look for a more supportive parent, and a parent can’t go out and look for a seemingly more talented child.
When we take on the oath of sports parenthood, we must do it with patience and an open mind. We can’t expect everything to come easily for us. Some of us might need to overcome bad habits in the stands just as our children need to overcome bad habits on the field. But our motivation for improvement should be very high considering what’s at stake. As sports parents, we need to look at our child’s well-being as our World Cup, Wimbledon, Masters, Olympics, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, and World Series. Our goal should be to help them reach their goals. Out goal should be to guide them toward athletic experiences that bring out the best in them, as well as the best in our relationship with them.As long as sports brings you and your kid closer together, you’ll always be winning; as long as it pushes the two of your apart, you’ll always be losing. It’s a simple formula, simple family math.
I have tried to think out loud about my experience as a sports parent in an effort to remind you that you’re not alone wrestling with your oath. You are sharing the sidelines with millions of others, including myself. I would be honored if the information I have passed on to you has enriched your journey as a sports parent and pushed you a little closer to some of your goals. I know one of my goals is to be able to enjoy each of my children’s games while it’s happening, win or lose. I must confess that I haven’t reach my goal yet, but I have days where it feels like I’m getting close, days where I can feel my parental sports heart opening a little wider.