Janis B. Meredith's Blog: JBM Thinks Sportsparenting, page 30

How I Made Peace with My Child’s Lack of Playing Time

Lack of playing time is a cause for extreme concern for many sports parents. I know it was for me. Worrying about playing time kept me awake at night, made my stomach upset and sometimes made me irritable and negative. I suppose if it happened every season with every child, I would have gotten used...

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Top 5 Youth Sports Injuries and How You Can Help Your Child Deal With Them, Part 1: Overuse

I am very excited to be partnering with the UHealth Sports Medicine Institute, part of the University of Miami healthy system, to bring you a 5-part series of sponsored posts on youth sports injuries. UHealth is paying me for these posts because they believe strongly in the importance of a safe youth sports experience for every young athlete....

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Does Your Athlete Have Commitment Issues?

Commitment is the glue that bonds you to your goals. Jill Koenig Athletes with commitment issues are the ones who struggle to make it through a season without throwing in the towel. They are the ones who start out loving a sport, but by season’s end are ready to move on to another sport, someplace where...

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When Your Athlete is Too Hard on Him/Herself

Got a child who is a perfectionist? Who comes home too hard on him or herself after making mistakes in a game or practice? Who always focuses on what went wrong instead of what went right? Is your child struggling with being too hard on him or herself? Are you at a loss to know...

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Do Sports Parents Always Know What’s Best for their Kids? Not in These 4 Instances!

Sports parents, do you know what’s best for your athlete? If you’d asked me that question when I was raising three young athletes, I would have adamantly said YES. Of course I know what’s best for my children. I know them better than anyone; I understand their quirks, their weaknesses and their strengths. And because...

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4 Ways to Help Your Athlete Learn Mental Toughness

If your child wants to up his or her game, it’s time to learn mental toughness. There are three affiliate links in this post and if you spend money on their programs, I will get a small commission. Are you frustrated because your athlete is struggling to learn mental toughness? Sports is a huge mental...

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7 Signs That Your Child Might Have a Tough Season

Is there a tough season ahead? Sometimes a tough season doesn’t start out that way. It may hit you and/or your child halfway through or even wait until the end to turn sour. But there are often signs at the beginning of the season that it could be hard. If you see any of these...

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How to Help Your Child Compete in Sports Without Going Broke

Do you sometimes feel like you’re going broke with the cost of youth sports? It’s not unusual these days for parents to pay over $1000 for their child to play on a travel team. The pay-to-play culture has exploded and the statistics are rather stunning. A report in USA Today says: A majority of the...

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8 Things Youth Sports Officials Want Parents to Know

Youth sports officials are probably some of the most abused people on the planet. They are under strict scrutiny by over-protective parents, dedicated fans, and very competitive athletes and coaches. They are insulted, attacked, blamed, and harassed. It’s a wonder they don’t quit. I think I would. Who wants to get paid peanuts to get...

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How to Raise Influencers

If you want your child to grow up a leader, not a follower, then you must raise influencers. Influencers do not follow the crowd, they forge their own path. Influencers care about helping others more than advancing their own agenda. Influencers see and sieze an opportunity to help others; while others are blind or distracted....

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