Raising Empowered Athletes: A Youth Sports Parenting Guide for Raising Happy, Brave, and Resilient Kids

by Kirsten Jones

A timely and down-to-earth guide for parents navigating the difficult decisions and extraordinary pressures of youth sports. Today's youth sports experience provokes countless questions for well-intentioned parents. How young should kids start playing sports? Should they specialize— and when? What should a parent do when their kid is not getting the playing time they think their child deserves? How do parents encourage children without overwhelming them? And most how do we ensure our kids both reach their true potential on the playing field, and are well-prepared to be successful in life? Raising Empowered Athletes has answers for every youth sports situation with an overarching goal of not only helping parents raise strong athletes, but nurture great human beings who are empowered to succeed on and off the playing field. Nationally recognized performance coach Kirsten Jones— a former Division I athlete herself— covers wide-ranging topics including the origins of today's hyper-competitive environment, what to insist on for your child's earliest sports experiences, club and travel teams, best approaches to family conversations and goal-setting, and the transition to high school sports. Delivered in a conversational and compassionate style, Raising Empowered Athletes will resonate with parents, coaches, and administrators alike.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Sports, Psychology

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2023

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like the author and I could be the same person, espousing the same youth sports beliefs, philosophies, and lamenting the trajectory of youth sports today. The chapters on the transfer portal and NIL are timely and important. I just nodded my head in agreement the entire book. A must read for any sports parent.

[Kristin Bernazard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid advice with loads of examples for any parent who is "on the ride" of helping their child's dream of being a professional athlete come true. There are some sections of this book geared towards over-excessive parents and, unfortunately, I have a feeling those who need this book would never pick it up. My son is in a rare position of having a father who played D1 and a grandfather who played professionally for an entire career so most of this is not shocking to us but a great refresher with some notes jotted down. I stumbled upon this book while browsing new reads at my library, so wasn't familiar with the podcast. Will likely give it a listen here and there!

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

listened to the audio book and it was excellent.

[Danielle Bitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book of this and gained so much insight. I want to go buy a hard copy as there were so many highlights and notes I could have made. It really opened my eyes to some of the things I have been doing myself. I highly recommend every sports parent listen or read this. I've added the podcast to my rotation.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Youth athletics in America is an ever-evolving landscape. People continue to focus on its educational benefits, whether learning teamwork or getting a college scholarship. However, these competitive foci can also bring out the worst in parenting. Parents often become more drawn into success than their kid-athletes. At the college level, tantalizing new constructs like the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) marketing and the Transfer Portal require wise decision-making to avoid pitfalls. What are kids to do? And what are parents to do? Professionally, Kirsten Jones, a former D1 volleyball player, helps families navigate the playing field of youth athletics. Here, she distills wise guidance on how to best empower young athletes for their futures.

She principally focuses on having fun, not winning, as the main benefit of sports. She also stresses the lifelong lessons that can be learned from playing sports at any level. As a parent of two college athletes, she is well aware that the sports odyssey can end at any moment and that the value of every moment must be maximized. Her main advice to parents is to not ruin it for their kids. Instead, empower them to make their own decisions. Importantly, that attitude equips them for the next level, whatever that is, and it equips them for life.

The climb in sports is fleeting. Everyone wants to win, but only a small group can reach the pinnacle. Plus sports is ephemeral – champions are here one day and gone tomorrow. Thus, its foundation is fragile and can’t become sole to our children’s identities. Yet it can keep kids connected to a healthy path when their primary drive is not academics or some artistic hobby. To navigate this domain, she offers not just advice, but stories of real young athletes that were her friends and clients. She visits their mistakes and their successes to give us adults wisdom.

While this book’s obvious audience is parents, the more mature young athlete can also benefit from its perusal. They can see mistakes that adults often make and prepare themselves for their futures, wherever that may lead. Coaches can also benefit from understanding parental motivations better so that they can guide their young athletes towards longer-term success. Thus, this book is broadly generalizable to many groups. In a competitive landscape among competitive people, Jones offers a beacon’s light of winning guidance to prevent us from causing our own losses.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a parent of a younger student athlete, this was invaluable - full of advice on navigating this bonkers world of youth sports. I feel more empowered as a parent to help support my child as they navigate this sphere. Highly recommended to any parent, coach or caregiver who has kids in any sports. She really does a well-rounded job of talking about all sports - not just one. I borrowed this from the library but might actually buy it so that I can refer back to certain chapters!

[Abby o · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall contains solid advice for navigating youth sports culture of the 21st century!

However, the information provided on nutrition has several extremely problematic aspects that can contribute to the disordered eating that is already highly prevalent in elite youth sports. It would be more beneficial to explore the unique energy needs of these athletes versus discussing “good” and “bad” foods.

[Brooke || FindingMyFavoriteBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re raising an athlete, this is the book to read!!!
Now coaching my daughter’s 10u softball team, I learned several pearls that can immediately be implemented for our team! And as her mom, learning to just “love to watch” her play is a great, daily reminder of why I’m here and why I’m coaching!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really excellent, regardless of your kids' age or skill level. Gives you plenty to think about in regards to youth sports, how you engage in them as a parent / family, and how to set your kids up for life success (which may or may not include sports!). I had takeaways as both a parent and a coach and think all parents should read!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I work as a nanny for a Division 1 coach and I want to help promote a health relationship to sports for her children. This book was very interesting and quite different from the parenting books I normally consume. I would recommend it to any sports family.

[Sara J Pauley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important read for parents of youth athletes about GAINING PERSPECTIVE! Emphasis on supporting from the sidelines (literally and figuratively). Will read again.

[Caroline Sterkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for all of us with middle school and high school athletes. I’m glad I bought this one so I can keep rereading.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parents who are inclined to pick this book up will probably already know most of this, even if by instinct. I’d recommend listening to the author on podcasts to get most of the main takeaways.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your kid plays sports, you should read this. If youre a volunteer sports coach, you should read this.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for parents of athletes at all levels, from 5-year-olds playing rec to high schoolers hoping to play in college. Will be a good one to revisit every few years.

[Sheri Toyosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

[Megan Moss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, quick read. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This book was written to parents that have children engaged in youth sports. The Author works as a life coach to athletes and parents. I felt a little out of touch with her landscape in Southern California, surrounded by people wanting to get to division I athletics, but there is still some good advice.

I have three young boys (10, 9 and 6 currently).

My kids are naturally active and competitive kids. As my older two get more invested into their soccer teams, I’ve thought a lot about how the youth sports landscape looks really different, and how sports provide some opportunity for some really great, and challenging parenting moments.

I loved the author’s explanations for how we got to where we are today, and what we can do to better support our athletes. It made me want to do some things differently. I like how the author suggested to be okay with seeing our kids struggle, and how most of the time we serve our kids by getting out of the way. I also want to demonstrate better sportsmanship by cheering on both teams and only shouting positive affirmations.

This book utilized lots of stories and examples and I liked that.

The last third of the book was not as interesting to me but my rating is based on the parts that I really loved.

[Nikolay Sarkisov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, reads more like a blogpost than a book. Really light on facts and science, really heavy on anecdotes and opinions. And the science that gets mentioned is sometimes wrong, like the power pose study by Cuddy that has long been debunked.

Also, lots of typos.

Also also, if you are not in the US a lot of the info on the book doesn’t apply.

If you’re in the know, you probably won’t get anything new out t of this book. Two books that communicate the same message but better and with more science are ‘do hard things’ by Steve Magness and ‘the self driven child’ by Johnson and Stixrud.

Having said that, the author’s heart is in the right place and the advice given is generally good, if somewhat vague.

[NIkki Wu · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a sports mom myself, I can't recommend "Raising Empowered Athletes" enough! It's truly insightful and offers a much-needed perspective in the often-intense world of youth sports. I'll admit, I too fell into the trap of being the "competitive mom" when my daughter first started out. I was so focused on commitment and giving our all, but this book reminds us that sports should be about more than just winning. It encourages you to look inward and consider what sports truly mean for your athlete and your family.

I also found the advice on recognizing the right coaches and assistant coaches invaluable. It's a must-read for any parent navigating the youth sports!

[Cassie Zabor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so so good! A friend of mine let me borrow it. Such a well balanced view on youth sports. I love how it talks about what TRULY matters about sports - teamwork, hard work, dedication, determination etc. while also recognizing that youth sports culture is SO much crazier than it used to be. A really good reminder to let your child lead and decide what THEY love and are into and passionate about.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book loaded with practical advice and wisdom for student athletes and their parents! Perhaps future editions could include advice for non-binary athletes and their parents on navigating the fraught environment for these athletes. I know this is not the primary focus of the book, but it's an important part of the empowered athlete discussion.

[Stephen Bernau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for parents who care about their kids relationship with sports, especially if you as a parent are incredible competitive/passionate about seeing your kid do well and go far.

As a coach, I wish all of my kids’ parents would read this book. And as a hopeful future parent, I’m marking this as one to read again!

[Kassi · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the standpoint of a varsity high school volleyball coach, this book could not be more on point!! From the standpoint of a parent with young kids just really getting going in little league sports and junior rodeo, it’s perfect!!! Highly recommend for anyone with kids in anything!!! Especially anything competitive but this could be relevant for kids doing any extracurricular!! So good!

[Lisa Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kirsten Jones has written an engaging, reassuring guide for parents on navigating the complex world of youth sports. With advice on everything from early specialization to burnout to recruiting, this book is a must-read for parents of athletes!

[Barbara Deming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for so many reasons. It imparts so much wisdom. It is an easy and enjoyable read. It felt like I was sitting down and listing to stories from parents and coaches. It gives great advice! A must read for anyone with children … not just athletic children!

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t blow me away but I thought the philosophy was correct and had some useful insights. It’ll be interesting to see how youth sports will continue to evolve in the future. There was a lot about the impact of COVID which may seem out dated in a few years.

[Jon Allbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many great reminders in here. How the author shares her anecdotes alongside the prescription is very helpful (how do you handle this situation of playing time or a coaches' style?)

One to share with coaches and parents of young athletes just starting out.

[Rochelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for ant sports parent or athlete.

[Jane Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this book when I was raising my young son.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great listen for those with young sports junkies! Many good reminders