Successful Parenting

It is common wisdom that both boys and girls benefit from playing organized sports in a variety of ways, including socially. But do parents also benefit from their involvement? Does the time and money parents spend going to their kids' practices and games benefit them socially? Do they feel it is worth all the effort? According to a study by researchers at Purdue University reported in the September 2009 issue of the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, the answer seems to be a qualified yes.

Too often these days, parents feel they have no choice but to pack their child's schedules with adult-supervised, adult-driven activities such as organized sports. But, as a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) makes clear, such activities should not come at the expense of free and unstructured play, which is critical to healthy child development.

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If you feel like sports are taking too much of your and family's time and money, if you are ready to exclaim, "Stop the world, I want to get off," you need to restore some sanity and find a better balance. It is possible to create balance within your family's everyday life, even with children who participate in sports. But it is up to you as the parent to make certain that your kids don't over-schedule and establish the right priorities.

Despite research showing that parents intuitively know how to balance their child's development, more and more mothers seem to be ignoring their own intuition, over scheduling, over-stressing their child in ways that are actually harmful to healthy growth.

Do you think life is too hectic, too "crazy"? Don't just shrug your shoulders and chalk it up to life in the new millennium. Being competitive shouldn't be what being a mother is about; moms need to avoid getting sucked into unhealthy peer pressure with other moms to push their kids into more and more activities.

Parents are under increasing pressure these days to help their kids succeed and to keep up with other parents (It is ironic that parents worry about the effect of peer pressure on their kids but fail to appreciate the effect peer pressure is having on them). We have become a nation of "helicopter" parents, hovering over our kids, trying to "enrich" every second of their lives with activities and feeling guilty if we don't. But finding a balance between sports and family life is vitally important.

With the fall sports season winding down and winter sports starting, it is important for parents to remember that, no matter how talented your child may be, there are going to be days when he doesn't play his best or when, despite his best effort, his team loses. How you manage both the ups and the inevitable downs will play a large role in whether your child has a successful youth sports experience.

I am often asked by parents how to decide when a child is ready to play sports? What sports should she play? When is too early? When is too late? What should a parent's expectations be starting out? While there are no pat answers to these questions and no hard-and-fast rules, here is some general advice.

There are a number of factors for parents to consider to make sure their child's athletic shoes fit properly.