The Best Thing a Parent Can Give To Their Young Athlete

The best thing a parent can give to their young athlete is a good example. I see too many parents living the dream through their kids that it makes me sick. I hope that I'm not like when my son is playing sports. But what I plan to do to keep that from happening is to have my own goals and my own dreams still percolating.

When a parent tells a young athlete that they need to train, or they need to eat right, or they need to stretch, I rarely ever see the parent doing those things. It's like when you drive down the road and you see the two little kids on their bikes with helmets falling off their head followed by the parent who isn't wearing a helmet at all. What the hell? Is your brain somehow not as important as it used to be? I saw a parent once fall off his bike trying to help his daughter readjust her helmet as they were riding down the road! (Here's your stupid sign, sir.)

Parents get out and get your own dream. I don't care if you're forty years old. Get out there and get going. Find something. ANYTHING! You will now have better conversations at dinner. You can talk about what you're trying to overcome. Read some books to help you through it and share that information with each other. Your relationship with your athlete will be better for it.