TEAM MEIBUKAN/Club Seiryu

PARENTAL CODE OF CONDUCT DOCUMENT

Encourage Your Child to Participate

Children should be encouraged to participate in a sport; however, they should not be pressured, intimidated, or bribed into it. For children to continue pursuing an activity, they need to find it enjoyable and intrinsically motivating. By researching opportunities and making their own choices, children can learn a great deal. Parents can be a big help by being open-minded and encouraging.

Enjoy Your Child’s Participation
 
Participation in a sport can be an important component of children’s lives. Resolve to simply enjoy their participation as much as you can! Parents who acquire an understanding of their young athletes’ sports (basic rules, skills, and strategies) are better able to understand their children’s performance. Realize and trust that in most programs, physical, technical, tactical, psychological and social development are all being worked on. During this process, your children’s focus should be on acquiring new skills, improving performance and, of course... ...having fun.

Beware of the 5 Sporting Parent Traps

Misplaced Enthusiasm
Parents sometimes place an overemphasis on outcome goals or on winning or losing, rather than on their children’s enjoyment, growth and development. They want to be enthusiastic, but aren’t sure how to express their enthusiasm effectively. Astute coaches often channel such parents’ energy by giving them important support roles or tasks. In the process, the parents are often educated regarding the complexity of the coach’s task.

Inducing Guilt
Parents can spend thousands of dollars and countless hours on youth sport participation. It is very easy for children to begin to notice the “sacrifice” and feel tremendous guilt and pressure to do well. Parents need to regularly remind their children that they enjoy providing the opportunity and there are no strings attached. Children do need to appreciate their opportunities, but must not be made,even unintentionally,to feel guilty about them.

Living Vicariously Through Our Children
Parents sometimes push children in order to make up for their own past frustrations and limitations. Too much vicarious involvement by the parent can become a tremendous burden to young athletes and be the cause of acute embarrassment.

Glimmer of Gold
For too many parents, gold medals and rich contracts become the main focus. It’s fine to be ambitious, but the reality is that less than 1% of children who start a sport will go on to make a living at it. Be supportive but stay rational – there is probably much more upward social mobility in other fields than there is in sport. If your children happen to excel through the vehicle of sport, great – but don’t let outcome expectations become a burden or a distraction.

Losing Perspective
Parents sometimes lose sight of what is important for children and themselves. Growth and development and preparation for life need to be the priority. Parents and children should regularly discuss values in sport and life. Knowing who we are, what is important in life, and how sports fit in are all part of achieving a perspective. With the “bigger picture” in place, both parents and children are less prone to youth sport problems.

PARENTAL CODE OF CONDUCT

1. I will remember that my child plays for his or her enjoyment, not mine.
2. I will teach my child that doing one’s best is more important than winning, so that my child will never feel defeated by the outcome of a game or event.
3. I will never ridicule or yell at my child for making a mistake or losing a competition.
4. I will provide positive comments that motivate and encourage continued effort.
5. I will make my child feel like a winner every time by offering praise for competing fairly and trying hard.
6. I will remember that children learn best by example.
7. I will applaud good play/performances by both my child’s team and their opponents.
8. I will honour the game by showing respect for my team’s opponents, because without them there would be no game or competition.
9. I will honour the game by respecting the officials’ decisions or judgment and will encourage participants to do the same.
10. I will honour the game by respecting the volunteer coaches, who give their time to provide sport activities for my child, and show appreciation for their efforts.
11. I will honour the game and not use bad language, nor will I harass or abuse, verbally or physically, athletes, coaches, officials or other spectators.
12. I will not have unrealistic expectations. I will remember that child athletes are not miniature professionals and cannot be judged by professional standards.