How to raise a self-indulgent, entitled athlete in 13 easy steps
Posted: June 10, 2013 Filed under: Parenting, Sports, Tips, youth sports | Tags: bad behavior, ego, elite training, little superstar, pampered, poor choices, self-indulgent, spoiled athlete 3 Comments »They are in the news practically every day. The superstar who thinks he’s above the team. The guy that is amazing on the field, and a complete train wreck off it. The guy who seemingly has it all, then blows it by making poor choices and exhibiting even worse behavior. From Ben Roethlisberger to Tiger Woods to Lance Armstrong, we’ve seen it over and over. And while it seemingly blows up in the media in one or two days, it takes a lifetime to reach this state. So how do you raise a wealthy, worshipped, successful spoiled athlete? You’ve got to start early, and use this guide. Read the rest of this entry »
Friends but no longer teammates. Awkward or not?
Posted: May 21, 2013 Filed under: Parenting, Sports, Tips, youth sports | Tags: awkward, beloved sport, cut, learning, play, tryout 6 Comments »
It’s been a long grueling tryout process but it’s finally over. The list has been posted and congratulations, your player made the team. But her best buddy didn’t. Bummer, that’s so sad. And wow! Really awkward. So how do you handle it? Here are some things to do, and not to do.
Books to boost your athlete’s reading skills, plus a giveaway!
Posted: January 30, 2013 Filed under: Parenting, Review, Tips, youth sports | Tags: books, Cracking the Code, giveaway, hockey mom, middle schooler, nhl, reading, sports 3 Comments »As the parent of really active kids, my problem wasn’t getting them moving, but getting them to stop moving. Those idyllic photos of a mom cuddled up with a child reading a book together was not my reality. Our interludes lasted about 30 seconds. It wasn’t that they disliked books or had trouble reading, just that they hadn’t figured out a way to play hockey and read at the same time.
Knowing the importance of reading in brain development and school success, I kept at it. One of the things that really encourages an interest in reading is finding a topic that holds your child’s attention. Not surprisingly, for my kids that tended to be sports books, biographies of sports stars, the sports section of the newspaper, draft day previews, programs from sporting events and Sports Illustrated.
Sister hockey mom and author Kris Yankee understands this. As a freelance writer and mom to a couple boys, Kris knows what appeals to kids, especially hockey crazed boys. Her brand new book Cracking the Code: Spreading Rumors takes the lessons of hockey and applies it to the everyday life of middle schooler Toby Karlson. Here’s a summary of the story:
When Toby Karlson, aka TK, is at the wrong place at the wrong time, he goes from cool kid to total outcast with just one hip check. Sixth-grade orientation was scary, but TK didn’t realize it would change his life. Now he has to hang out with the smartest and geekiest kid in school, while dodging the school bully and his posse. If TK were on the ice, he’d know exactly what to do. But this is life and not a hockey game. Can TK get his good-guy status back at fifth-grade camp? Read the rest of this entry »
6 good reasons to play a college sport, even if you didn’t get a scholarship
Posted: January 8, 2013 Filed under: Parenting, Sports, Tips, youth sports | Tags: academics, advising, athletes, college, eligibility, scholarship 1 Comment »
Despite the obvious superior gene pool, oodles of natural talent, years of travel teams, weeks of camps, hours and hours of private instruction and a tremendous cash outlay, your kid didn’t get the athletic scholarship you were dreaming of. Well, don’t feel bad. Only about 2 percent of high school athletes actually get an athletic scholarship, and most of them only get a partial scholarship. It doesn’t mean the end of the road for your athlete. Even if there’s not a scholarship involved, there are still plenty of reasons to participate in college athletics.
That’s no ref, that’s my son!
Posted: December 13, 2012 Filed under: Parenting, Sports, youth sports | Tags: behavior, games, hockey, kids, officiating, refs, soccer, sports, sportsmanship 2 Comments »Every game you go to, in every sport, you hear it. Coaches, parents, and often times players, complaining about the refs. The ref cost us the game. The ref is a homer. The ref just outright sucks. Well, don’t worry, Stripes. I’ve got your back.
Why would I defend the most universally hated people on the sports planet (well, next to this guy)? Not because it’s really just a bunch of whining, which it is, and excuse making, which it is, but because it does a disservice to the coaches, the players, and the refs. That’s right. Here’s why you need to get off big Blue’s back.
