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Home › Articles › Your Children › All for the Game

All for the Game

Giving More Than Effort for Sport

By Carma Haley

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Kevin Harlan, the vice president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, says, "Helping students understand where their worth comes from is very important. It doesn't come from their performance. When children get by their self-worth being based on their performance as related to their sports participation, they understand they are worth more then they ever believed. Young athletes should be taught that they need to give as much effort to all other aspects of their lives as well as sports. Children should be given as many outlets to express themselves as possible, without judgment or ridicule."

All parents want their children to exceed, but not at the cost of their health, both mental and physical, or their lives. "Sports can teach so many important lessons such as teamwork and dedication, but should never teach the lesson of 'winning is everything,'" Shepard says. "Young athletes who give their all to the game usually end up having nothing left for themselves."

According to Harlan, "The most fundamental way a parent can contribute to a child's vision of self-worth is to walk along with them. To keep the balance (of a child's worth and self esteem) the child should receive the same message at home, school and on the field."

Parents can aid their children in maintaining a healthy balance by volunteering for the Parent-Teacher Association, as a coach, assistant coach or even as a "team mother." Tasks as simple as attending practices or showing up unannounced will give parents a means of becoming involved with their child's athletic participation. In addition, it allows the parents a moderate amount of input into what the children do in relation to the conditioning or training, thus preventing any dangerous practices.

"Children are seeking direction in every aspect of their lives," Smith says. "They want their parents to be the person to give it to them the most."


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