I just read a fascinating article by David Epstein, the author of The Sports Gene, that further supports my position that early specialization in sports (or any achievement area, for that matter) is not the path to later success. He recounts research and anecdotes in which children who didn't specialize early went on to have [...]
The New York Times just published a revealing article about Norway's approach to youth sports that provides a painful juxtaposition to the often-times toxic "youth sport industrial complex" that currently has gone off the rails in the U.S. The article offers some valuable insights into how youth sports can be returned to its original health [...]
In addition to working with young athletes in many sports, I also consult with sport parents to help them to provide to their young athletes the most positive support they can. Being a great sport parent is no small feat or easy task these days for several reasons. First, we live in a youth-sport culture [...]
One of your most essential goals as a sport parent in your children's lives as athletes is to have them gain ownership of their participation. They need to feel that their sport is their thing. But ownership isn’t just something that they can gain on their own. Rather, it is a gift you give them [...]
I was recently interviewed by John O'Sullivan, the founder of Changing the Game Project. about my new sport parenting book, Raising Your Athletes: Prepare Your Children for Victory in Sports and Life. The wide-ranging discussion explores many topics focused on helping parents be the best sport parents they can be. To listen to or download the [...]
In a recent post, I made the seemingly heretical statement that parents shouldn’t raise independent children. I hopefully explained myself adequately and provide a reasonable justification for what sounds like, at first blush, an absurd statement. I also made the distinction between raising children who are independent (again, not a good thing) and children who [...]
Back in 2012, Common Sense Media, the leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world of media and technology, published a groundbreaking survey examining the use of technology and social media among young people ages 13-17. The results were shocking in how much children were immersed in technology six years ago. CSM [...]
I recently completed the online course and certification for SafeSport, a nonprofit whose mission is to end all forms of abuse in sport and ensure that all athletes safe and supported. I found the course to be of considerable value with the many hats I wear in sports: Highly educational as a parent and volunteer [...]
In my first parenting book, Positive Pushing, I wrote a section titled “Raise an Independent Child” in which I recommended that parents should allow their children to gain independence from them as soon as possible. They should give their children the freedom to become their own people and navigate the world on their own. I [...]
As I described in Part I, Part II, and Part III of this four-part series on Meeting the Challenges of Tryouts, my focus is on what athletes can do to make their tryout experiences as enjoyable and successful as possible. So far, I wrote about the psychological challenges for young athletes and how they can [...]
