Don’t blame the parents of the athletes, educate them!

Don’t blame the parents of the athletes, educate them!
The role of parents in sports is a key element for the subsequent development of children. They determine to a large extent how much support an athlete will have emotionally, how cooperative and receptive he will be towards his coach, how much effort he will put forth in every situation for his best possible performance. It is the parent who, as the first “educator” in the child’s life, will teach him the concepts of responsibility, consistency, respect for those around him, a positive attitude towards “third parties”, will create the basis for the development of self-esteem of the child, on which he will build his self-confidence, even in sports. All the information provided to the child is what his coach would ask for when working with young athletes.
The importance of the parent is also demonstrated by the fact that 3 out of 10 children are involved in sports because of their parents, who also “influence” the children’s choice of sport. 32% of children are motivated by their parents’ desire to participate in a particular sport, research shows.
At the same time, a percentage of between 65-75% of children who play sports, states that there have been moments in which they have experienced pressure from their parents. Pressure to succeed, expectation to improve, demand to win. In this case, they unwittingly “develop” stress in the athletes. As they will create similar issues by getting involved in training, giving instructions for the match, making countless analyzes about the match that the child did not go “well”, “asking for the reason” from the coach for the child’s lack of progress, arguing with other parents and always being one step ahead of the child trying to provide everything for him, sabotaging his autonomy.
In the end, the parents are a problem, says the coach, and certain research results also state this.
As much as they can negatively affect the development of the child, even more and perhaps more they could be the ideal ally in the athlete’s development effort. They are blamed for their attitude and general behavior, characterized as over-involved or over-protective. They may not be “right”.
Did anyone ever train them though? Has anyone ever informed them of what the “proper” attitude in sports really is? They entered a very demanding space, spending a lot of personal time and corresponding money, not knowing “what should I do when the match is over and the child is upset?”. At the same time, research shows that parents “spend”/invest 3-12% of their annual income on their child’s sports!
Watch training? Should I go to the games? To answer if he asks me “how did you see me?” Should I talk to the coach? Should I ask him about training and the match? These are some of the questions parents have. They express concern and concern, it is about “the most precious thing they have”: their own children.
We take it for granted that he knows how to help, but at the same time he is “unrelated” to sports. Something doesn’t fit…
If you don’t explain something to someone, don’t judge them. No one is evaluated on something they don’t know. The responsibility of educating parents “burdens” everyone, actors, coaches and those involved in sports. The child’s sport starts with the education of the parents!
Educate them, inform them and let them decide whether they are doing “good” or “bad” to their children. And either the parents or the child’s own development will “decide” whether it is good or bad!