Janis B. Meredith's Blog: JBM Thinks Sportsparenting, page 81

Mercy Rule in Youth Sports: how far should it go?

The mercy rule in youth sports has been around ever since my kids started playing years ago. I experienced it  mostly in softball because my daughter grew up playing and my husband coached it for 10 years.  The softball mercy rule said this: if one team was up by 10 after 4 innings, the game [...]

MVP Awards: Is your Child Ready for them?

MVP awards have somehow been crowded out of the whole “should kids get trophies?” debate. I’ve read many articles discussing the pros and cons of giving trophies to every player on a youth sports team, but I would like to take that discussion a step further, and ask the question: At what age should we start [...]

Sports Parenting Tips: The 10 Commandments of Sports Parenting

Everyone is handing out sports parenting tips these days. With all the bad sports parent stories being shared in the news, coaches, dads, and sports experts are all speaking out. It’s a good thing because we need to hear a lot of what they have to say. Here’s the simple truth: Sports parenting is not [...]

Parenthood: Sometimes You Just Gotta Sing About it

Parenthood is the toughest job on earth. Hands down. And sometimes you’ve just got to laugh and sing about it, if for no other reason than to keep from pulling your hair out. Moms especially will enjoy this lighthearted look at motherhood….     Get your Sports Parenting Survival Guide: Football Mom’s Survival Guide,  Softball Mom’s Survival [...]

Underdog? Help Your Child Beat the Odds!

Being the underdog in youth sports means an athlete faces a game where they have already been chosen as the loser–by the fans, and even by the coaches and athletes. Yes, I said the coaches. My son played basketball for a coach who told them flat out before a tournament that he didn’t expect them [...]

How to Starve the Negative Emotions of Sports Parenting

  Negative emotions are going to happen in the world of youth sports. In fact, it’s a hotbed for them. I’ve been reading the book The 4:8 Principle by Tommy Newberry and I’d like to adapt his thoughts on negativity to the world of sports parenting. All you have to do is sit in the [...]

Giving up Control in Youth Sports: Can you do it?

Giving up control in youth sports is a must for sports parents if they want to help their kids develop character. As parents, there is a lot of things we can control about our kids: what they eat, how they dress, where they go to school, how much allowance they get. In fact, we are [...]

Parenting Tip: Punishment and Play go Hand in Hand

Here’s a parenting tip you may not have heard before: Punishment and Play should go hand in hand. Let me explain. One of the most exhausting parts of parenting is when we have to discipline our children. I never enjoyed punishing my kids for their bad behavior, but it was something that had to be [...]

Competition: When Your Child’s Biggest Competitor is on His Own Team

Competition in youth sports does not just come from the opposite team. Sometimes it is against another player on your child’s own team. Does your child face any of these challenges? Is there a kid who wants your child’s starting spot?  Or a player who keeps taking playing time away from your child? Whenever my [...]

Dealing with Failure: Help your Child Move on

Dealing with failure in youth sports is not a pleasant topic. We don’t enjoy watching our kids fail. Our kids hate failing. Coaches struggle when their players fail. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about helping our kids deal with mistakes. But I think this is a subject that can never be [...]