03/19/2024
GREAT article:
Being a former competitive athlete, I am grateful my parents had a healthy balance of knowing when to push me to be my best and when to turn the reins over to me and allow my own intrinsic motivation to be the fuel that drove my desire and passion.
I can remember our conversations in the car ride home being brief and positive. Most of them simply involved me being asked how practice went and if I was still enjoying gymnastics. Our conversations after a competition weren’t much different. Those usually involved me being asked what I wanted to eat. By that time, everyone in the family was exhausted from four hours of sitting in the bleachers. The last thing anyone wanted to do was listen to a play-by-play of what they had just watched.
If I had not done particularly well and I was upset, my father would help me by asking me if I had done my best. If I answered yes, then he would respond my best is all I could do. He then went on to explain to me that in life there would always be someone better than me. My job in practice was to prepare to be the best I could be and then go out and do my best every time with the understanding that sometimes my best would not be good enough. However, that did not mean I was a failure or that I should stop trying my best.
Unfortunately, conversations like the ones I had with my father are few and far between in today’s youth sports. As a coach of 30 years I have seen athletes leave sports sooner than they would have because of the car ride home.
So what is it about the car ride home that drives so many athletes from the game they love?
Well-meaning parents are failing to recognize the time after a game (or practice) is critical for their child.
Kids are physically and emotionally exhausted; yet parents choose to make the car ride home a “teachable moment” by commenting on the coach’s decisions or their child’s performance (or lack thereof).
Questions To Ask Your Child To Improve The Ride Home
Here are some questions parents can ask that will encourage healthy dialogue between them and their child after a game (or practice) that will allow the child to feel he/she is still in control of their sport.
Did you do your best? This question encourages work ethic and integrity
Were you a good person out there? This question reminds the child of sportsmanship and helps him/her to reflect on his/her behavior
What did you learn? This question also causes self reflection and encourages further dialogue
Did you have fun or was it enjoyable? Depending on the level of the child, the wording may change. When thinking of “fun”, it’s not the type of fun one would experience while at a fair or amusement park, but rather the enjoyment one receives from accomplishing a goal or helping others to achieve one common goal.
The key when asking the above questions or having the after game (or practice) conversation, it to remember this is not the time to “drill” your child.
3 Keys to Having a Successful Car Ride Home
There are three keys to having a successful car ride home.
Let the child drive the conversation. Even in asking the questions, let the child lead.
Don’t force the conversation. Remember they just finished a game or practice and they are physically and emotionally exhausted.
Always let them know you love them and are proud of them no matter the outcome of the game or practice.
The car ride home does not have to be stressful for the child or parent. Let’s all work together to create different conversations after the game so our children can leave on their own terms.
