The Love of Sports

I had the chance to speak to both my sons on a three way phone call this morning and the topic of basketball came up. My oldest son Adam is a Varsity Basketball Coach and is just starting his Junior High basketball season. My youngest son Jeremy is an elementary teacher. In fact the honorable profession of teaching runs in my family since all my children are teachers. Adam had the chance to play his bench (for those of you who don't understand basketball that is the players who don't get to see much playing time). Last night's game was a huge win so he was able to get his bench out there and give them the chance to shine. I know how much that meant to these players and their parents because I have been there. I have been a Basketball Mom for a very very long time. Waking up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning to get your child to practice and running out side a basketball game at half time to see how much snow had fallen is just a few of the obstacles that sport parents have to put up with. Why do we do it, you ask? The payback. Sports give back much more then we give. It gives children structure, limit's and teaches children that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough. This philosophy follows them into their other classes. A child that succeeds at sports carries an air of confidence about them. It helps them to challenge themselves and open up to learning. It brings discipline to their lives. Many school athletes have little to no structure in their home life or they get tangled up in bad friendships that can lead to trouble. Sports gives them the structure they can thrive on. Burning up those bundles of energy is also a way of releasing stress and tension in a positive way. If you don' believe me take away recess on a group of 4Th graders and see what you have by the end of the day! There is so much about this topic I would like to discuss. One is how to deal with the child who loses, or even cost his team the game. Nothing you can say will help ease your child's feelings about his own self worth. You first have to give him some breathing room so he can sort out his feelings. You can then approach him and try to focus on what he did right and ways he could correct what he did wrong. In sports, basketball in particular the mind can easily trip up the feet. I've seen it happen so many times. The winning team makes a few mistakes and just like that they couldn't shoot a basket if their lives depended on it. They let their mind interfere with what their body already knows. I'm going to close with this thought... Keep your child in sports, music or chess, whatever they show an interest in and don't be afraid to try and introduce them to new projects. My youngest son never knew the extent of his talents till he pushed himself in cross country and golf. Help them to open new doors. You never know where a hidden talent is lurking. Help your child to achieve, be their cheerleader in everything they do. Knowing you are always there rooting them on will give them the confidence to do more, making them a well adjusted child. Thinking back on my own childhood I'd like to add a few memories that many of you will remember fondly; Finding the best place to hide in Hide and Seek and running as fast as you can back to the tree before you were tagged. Filling a mason jar full of fire flies and then putting it under your bed that night and waking up in the middle of the night to see the ceiling blink off and on as the lightening bugs escaped the jar. How cool was that?? Having the milk man come to the door on Saturday morning and tell your mom that ice cream sandwiches were on sale today, Oh boy were those the days! Slipping into line dried sheets at the end of a day. Bounce can't compare to the smell of wind and sunshine. If you were born in the 50's and 60's you lived a wonderful simple life. Try to recreate some of that life for your children and grandchildren. When they are grown they will thank you for it. Till next time... the time you invest in your child's life is like money in the bank, the payoff will be great!