Janis B. Meredith's Blog: JBM Thinks Sportsparenting, page 71

Why it’s Okay for Your Child to be Embarrassed in Sports

Have you seen your child get embarrassed in sports? No athlete enjoys that feeling, and when your child faces situations where he feels embarrassed, he may want to quit or go hide in a corner. My youngest daughter was embarrassed after one particular volleyball tournament match and we had to look all over the school campus to find her sitting […]

Are you Armed for the Battle of Independence?

Do you see your child’s independence growing daily? If so, you know it is not an easy journey of growth. We celebrate independence on July 4th, at graduations, and on numerous other milestone occasions. Independence is worth celebrating because it brings freedom and hope, but it is also worth celebrating because it represents a battle of […]

Human Kindness and Good Sportsmanship are Going Viral… Will You Join In?

This post is sponsored by Dignity Health. Dignity Health is on a mission to inspire and spread human kindness. One of the nation’s largest health care providers, they believe that human connection and kindness help people heal. Because of this, they have been promoting acts of human kindness beyond just the health care industry–in our […]

10 Ways to Help Kids Stay Fit–and have fun!–Even When They’re not Playing Sports

Playing sports is not the only way to help kids stay fit. So if your kids are taking a break this summer from organized sports or if they have decided not to play sports again, there are still some fun ways to get a work-out. Try these ideas for some variety in your fitness quest. […]

Having Fun in Youth sports: What Does it Look Like ?

Having fun in youth sports is a high priority these days. In fact, the prevailing thought trend in the youth sports culture is that kids should be having fun or they should not be playing. To a certain extent, that is a healthy and worthy philosophy, but it also brings up another dilemma: what does […]

10 Sure Signs that Your Child is a Good Sport

Is your child a good sport when he or she competes? Sportsmanship is highlighted a lot these days as the globe rallies around World Cup Soccer.  We hear touching stories and see poignant pictures of athletes and fans showing compassion on the big stage of soccer’s biggest event. But what does being a good sport look like in […]

How to Raise Wise Children

How do you raise wise children? That is not a question I hear often. But I’m guessing most parents would love to have their kids grow up with a certain degree of wisdom…wouldn’t you? A couple of weeks ago, Sarah Keller spoke at our church and she talked about how to get wisdom. Her talk was aimed […]

Top 10 Rules of Youth Sports: Be Sure Your Child Knows Them!

The top 10 rules of youth sports are as important for your kids to know as the 10 commandments of sports parenting are for you to know. Post this list on your fridge, in the team locker rooms, around the house, and on your car dashboard. No matter which sport your child plays, these are the real rules of […]

Can Husband and Wife Coaching Teams Work?

Husband and wife coaching teams are more common than I realized. I saw my first close-up of a husband and wife coaching team this past year when my daughter assisted as a coach on their high school varsity softball team. What made their situation even more prickly was that they were coaching their daughter, who […]

How to Keep Competition Where it Belongs

Although competition is a healthy and necessary part of youth sports, there is one very important fact that many parents, players, and coaches seem to forget: it should stay on the field–or court, or pool or green, or mat. Some people are competitive by nature–I get that, I live with four of them–but that does […]