Janis B. Meredith's Blog: JBM Thinks Sportsparenting, page 77

Why Small Victories Matter in Youth Sports and in Life

Sometimes sports parents overlook the small victories when their kids play sports. Are you too busy looking for the big stuff–the touchdown passes, winning goals, home runs, or game-high points scored in a basketball game–that you overlook  the small steps forward that your child is making?  Of course you should rejoice in your child’s extreme successes, [...]

Do You Parent on Offense or Defense?

Offense or Defense…which is more important in sports? Arguments are strong for both sides, but if we are honest, we’d probably say that we’d much rather have our team on offense than on defense because in order for games to be won, the offense has got to be in play. As a coach’s wife and [...]

Should You Let Your Child Play Football?

Should you let your child play football? This discussion has loud voices on both sides.  I came across this graphic and thought it would be interesting to sports parents. What do you think?       Graphic produced by: Elkus, Sisson & Rosenstein, P.C. Law Firm   Sportsparenting Survival Guides: Volleyball Mom’s Survival Guide, Football Mom’s Survival [...]

What YOU Can Learn When Your Child Fights His Own Battles

When parents back off and let children fight their own battles, especially in the arena of youth sports, it is inevitable that those kids will grow stronger and learn lessons that will be with them for life. I’ve raised three kids in sports and as I look at them growing into adults, I’m amazed at [...]

Friday Night Tykes: Would You Let Your Children Play for These Coaches?

When USA football asked me to review the new Esquire docu-series Friday Night Tykes, I had no idea it would be so frustrating to watch. It’s not just another bad sports parents movie, it’s a statement about what some youth sports cultures in our country have become. Filmed documentary style, FRIDAY NIGHT TYKES provides a [...]

I Have a Dream for Youth Sports

“I have a dream” is heard throughout our country today as we celebrate the life and commitment of Martin Luther King, Jr. One of the most famous lines of his speech is this one: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by [...]

Hazing in Youth Sports: What’s the answer?

Hazing in youth sports has been added to the list of problems that crop up in conversations about kids competing in sports. But can’t kids just have fun? What’s the balance? What is the difference between hazing and good prankster fun? Take a quick look at this video by former World Cup Champion and Positive Coaching [...]

Accepting Blame: How to Teach Your Child Not to Play the Blame Game

Accepting blame is not very popular in youth sports; the blame game is. Kids, parents, and coaches like to play it–when the game is lost, when your child doesn’t play much, when mistakes are made in the game. It somehow makes us feel better when we find someone else to blame for problems, even though [...]

Sports Parenting Tip: Your life is NOT on hold

Here’s a sports parenting tip for you to mull over: Your life is NOT on hold. Do you believe that? I once heard a sports parent say:  “My kids are playing sports so my life is on hold.” If you are a busy sports parent, whose time is filled with games, practices, team meetings, carpooling, [...]

Be an Organized Sports Parent with the Help of this FREE App

No, organized sports parent is not an oxymoron. I believe there are things you can do to help make your job a little less chaotic. And since I’m always looking for ways to make life easier for sports parents and coaches, I want to tell you about the free app Ringya. Ringya lets you instantly [...]