Janis B. Meredith's Blog: JBM Thinks Sportsparenting, page 85

In youth sports, it’s better to shop around

When it comes to getting the most for your money, it’s always better to shop around–even in youth sports. Unfortunately, many sports parents are so darn busy they don’t have  a lot of time to compare prices. They need what’s quick, easy and hopefully, not too expensive. Well, busy sports parents and coaches, meet your [...]

5 tips for channeling your child’s perfectionism in youth sports

Having a perfectionist child is challenging in any arena, but perfectionism in youth sports is especially difficult. Signs of a perfectionist They tend to: Set high performance standards that can’t possibly be met Be motivated by fear of failure rather than by desire for success Base their self-worth on accomplishments Believe that anything less than [...]

How to know if you’re parenting with your ego

There are times when parents make decisions out of love for their kids. And there are also times when the ego takes over. Often parental egos result in bad decisions for the family. How do you know when your ego is taking over your parenting decisions? Read more about the signs of egotistical parenting.   [...]

When was the last time you saw a freak of nature in youth sports?

Every now and then, we run into kids in youth sports who are truly gifted. And driven. And passionate about their sport. And perhaps a freak of nature. The kid  in the video below is amazing. I would love to see him in 10 years. What kind of an adult athlete he will become? Hopefully [...]

The wins and loses of youth sports: which is better for your child?

It’s always good to hear from dads and moms in the trenches of youth sports. Eddie Shackleford is one of those dads. He shares how he’s helping his son learn how to deal with the winning and the losing of youth sports.  As my 11-year-old son’s soccer season is coming to a close, I have [...]

How do sports parents annoy other sports parents?

Annoying is a word that some athletes use to describe their parents’ behavior, and it is also used by coaches to describe some sports parenting behaviors. There’s a third twist to the annnoyances: parents annoying other parents. I did a little digging to find out how sports parents annoy each other. Maybe it will give you [...]

Parenting tip: the secret to building relationships

There’s a secret to building relationships with people. It’s also a parenting tip that can might just provide a lot of insight into your kids. The secret to building relationships isn’t in the words you say, but in the questions you ask. Justin Zoradi says in his post The Simple Step to Become a Remarkably [...]

How you can prevent youth sports eye injuries

According to Prevent Blindness America, 40,000 eye injuries related to sports and recreation occur every year, and over 90% of them can be prevented with the proper use of sports eyewear. Baseball and basketball make up the majority of youth sports eye injuries. For children ages 5 to 14, baseball is the No. 1 cause [...]

Sports nutrition: 10 Foods that will boost energy

Sports nutrition is just as important to your child’s game as practice. You can help your child be prepared for his games by feeding him the right foods to boost his energy. For many athletes, it may seem like a good idea to have an energy drink or  something caffeinated before going to practice or [...]

4 Simple Steps to Help Prevent Ankle Sprains in Youth Sports

Today’s guest post is about one of the most common injuries in youth sports: ankle sprains. Michelle Meier from Ektio writes about how to help prevent ankle sprains. Sooner or later, your young athlete will suffer from one. These tips are simple and may seem rather obvious to you, but I have a feeling that many [...]