One of your most essential goals in your children's lives as ski racers is to have them gain ownership of their participation. They need to feel that ski racing is their thing. But ownership isn’t just something that they can gain on their own. Rather, it is a gift you give them that offers so [...]
I'm excited to announce the publication of my latest parenting book, Raising Young Athletes: Parenting Your Children to Victory in Sports and Life. Here's what the book is about: Sports are an amazing environment in which to raise children. The benefits they gain from athletic participation are many including physical (e.g., health, fitness, mastery), personal (e.g., passion, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
My two daughters are pretty serious athletes. They’ve been competing in one sport for seven years (along with several others less seriously), trained hard this summer, and are committed to being the best they can be in their sport. Because of this burgeoning involvement in their sport and my being a sport parenting expert of [...]
My two daughters are officially ski racers. They’ve been on the Sugar Bowl Ski Team for seven years now, skied twice this summer, and will attend winter term at Sugar Bowl Academy this coming season. Because of this burgeoning involvement in our sport, I’m often asked by other parents why they ski race and why [...]
It's almost become a cliche. Parents yelling at their children at practice or during games. Parents heckling the opposing team. Parents berating coaches. Parents threatening referees. Parenting fighting each other in the stands. In just about any sport, at every level of youth sports, on any given day, and on fields, courts, courses, and rinks [...]
I'm pleased to be a part of The Parent Shift Master Class online series featuring interviews with some of the world’s leading parenting experts, researchers, and colleagues giving parenting solutions to help you raise happy, healthy, and successful children. Each interview is specifically designed to be short and focused on a powerful topic that you [...]
In this final segment of my eight-part vlog series on sport parenting, we shift our focus onto what you can do with other sport parents to ensure a healthy athletic experience for your children. There is little doubt that you as a parent have an immense impact on your children’s sports involvement. At the same [...]
