Youth Sport Weekend: Involved Parents

One of my goals for 2012 is to develop a Youth Sports community on my blog to support, encourage and motivate parents and children to adopt an active lifestyle. To help build this community, add your youth sports or active lifestyle post at the linky at the bottom of this post.

Today I’d like to talk about parent involvement in Youth Sports. I have written about being a committee mum (or not) here. Parental involvement doesn’t have to stop behind the scenes. Many sports rely heavily on the help of parents directly on the field.

 I’m the first to admit that it can be hard to give over your precious relaxation time to volunteering at a sporting event. However, I have found that there are many, many benefits to being actively involved in youth sport.

For an example, I’ll tell you about GrumpyDaddy. Now playing and interacting with children doesn’t seem to come easily to GrumpyDaddy. He likes to spend time in the garden or looking after his fish. But come Saturday Morning , he is on the athletics field and is responsible for over a dozen giggling 7 year-old girls. He is patient and understanding and all the children look up to him. My little girl is so proud to be his daughter and I’m sure her confidence and self-worth is boosted by having her dad there in charge.

These are some of benefits that can be gained by parents participating in youth sport:

• By helping with the sport or activity, the parent is sending a message that the child’s activities are worth investing time in, and that the child is important to the parent. I’m sure this leads to increased confidence and self-belief in the child.

• You get the opportunity to meet and form friendships with other parents you wouldn’t normally see.

• Parent help is an absolute requirement, without help many sporting events simply could not take place.

• Kids learn an awful lot by example, so if you are there to model fairness and good sportsmanship, they will follow your lead.

• There is a unique opportunity to get to know other kids and play a small role in their lives by helping them to achieve at sport. I have written about this further here.

• Kids feel really proud that you are there, even if you are wearing a silly fluorescent vest! I have seen my daughter point to me with a big fat smile on her lttle face saying to her friends….

 “…that’s MY mum!!…”

• Parents get a unique opportunity to lean about their child on the sporting field. Weather it is watching their grin as they achieve, watching their joy as they socialize with their friends, or watching their determination to do their best. Even if that means running last.

• Lastly, parents get to take their camera and take lots of really awesome action shots of the kids doing sports…….or is that just me?? J

So to demonstrate said  action shots, here are some photos I took of my daughter Flash (8) competing in the high jump at little athletics

 Seriously consider being actively involved in your child's sporting activity, the benefits for your child and you could be amazing!!

If you have a Youth Sports or active lifestyle post to share, please add it to the linky below. Together we can build a terrific community!