Janis B. Meredith's Blog: JBM Thinks Sportsparenting, page 87

8 Ways to Go Green in Youth Sports

Today is Earth Day and a good time to remember that we can look for ways to go green in youth sports. Cut down on water bottle waste by buying a sturdy,  stainless steel reusable water bottle and refilling it. Fill up a Gatorade cooler with water and let the kids fill their bottles. If you [...]

18 kids activities for fun-filled Saturdays & Sundays

  What kids activities do you have planned for your weekend? I recently read about a man who loved Saturdays and wondered how many he had remaining in his life. He bought a glass jar and filled it with marbles. Every Saturday, he opened the jar and took one out. This was a reminder to [...]

What do you say to a 10-year-old in youth sports?

    What do you say to a 10-year-old in youth sports if that 10-year-old is you? The makers of this video challenged people to write a letter to their 10-year-old self. Their remarks enforce the fact that hindsight is very 20/20.   If you had to write a letter to your 10-year-old self, the [...]

5 things you should not scrimp on in youth sports

Saving money in youth sports is something I firmly support. That being said, remember that you get what you pay for, and sometimes getting the less expensive option is not always the best investment. For these five items, cheaper is not always better: Athletic shoes. You don’t have to go for the Air Jordans or [...]

5 Ways that Parents Annoy Youth Sports Coaches

  Many sports parents will reluctantly agree that maybe, just maybe they are guilty of doing things to annoy their athletic children. But the truth is, the annoying doesn’t stop there. Parents do things that annoy coaches too. Continue reading to find out what they are.             Get my free [...]

Allowing kids with disabilities to play in youth sports: home run or strike out?

In January 2013, the US Department of Education clarified schools’ obligation to provide equal opportunity for students with disabilities to participate in extracurricular activities, particularly youth sports. Although the Department seems to have spelled it out pretty clearly on paper, what will this actually look like in real life?       As a youth [...]

Help your child win the Blame Game in youth sports

Blaming others for what goes wrong is a common practice in youth sports–as it is in society.  When a run scores, when a touchdown pass is dropped, when a goal is scored, it always has to be someone’s fault, right? When young athletes get sucked into the blame game, is there ever really a winner? When your [...]

Start now to help your child set goals in youth sports

Parenting your young athlete through his youth sports experience should not be done randomly.  Start now to help your child set goals. What those goals are depends solely on your child, on his desires, on his dreams, and on his skills. Combine his desires with a dose of parental realism–deeming what goals are worthy and [...]

Are sports superstars born or made?

Did LeBron James start shooting three-pointers while he was still in pre-school? Or was he just lucky enough to get good coaches who helped him develop his skills as he grew up playing youth sports? Are sports superstars born or made?         Just because this kid is a superstar at 2, does [...]

Are spring youth sports making an April fool out of you?

Hang around any spring youth sports event and you will hear and see parents who are making April fools of themselves. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve seen it. You may have even contributed to it. Parents yelling negative comments to players and coaches. Parents being way too hard on their kids. Parents obsessing [...]