Just yesterday I was having a conversation with a mom who felt guilty because she was visibly frustrated after watching her son struggle in his golf tournament that he was supposed to win.
"Andrew, I didn't handling it the right way. He walked off the course and I clearly was frustrated with him because he could have done so much better. And I got even more upset that he did not stop over and at least acknowledge me and his dad and thank us for being there."
Me: "Did you ask for his forgiveness for forgetting that it's HIS sport, not yours?"
Yeah...she didn't want to hear that but needed to.
She thanked me afterwards and gave him a call to apologize. Done. Easy. Impactful.
Who's sport is it? Your's or your kids?
If it's their sport, we need to work harder to control our emotional investment in the outcomes. We can root for them all day, but we must refrain from getting mad or upset with them just because the ball didn't roll their way one day.
As sports parents we will not be perfect but we can make a perfect effort to acknowledge it and take ownership when we do fall short.
This will create young men and women who also take ownership (rather than blame shifting, ignoring, or making excuses) and ask for forgiveness when they fall short.
-Coach Andrew J Simpson
P.S. This was a stellar webinar for sports parents that I did alongside of Athlete Mental Health Counselor Ryan Defibaugh and Psychotherapist Sal Schittino. Enjoy!
