Successful Parenting

The Olympic creed was first stated by the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, and it is as much a cherished ideal today as it was a century ago: "The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part."

Ask kids about what they want to get out of sports, and the vast majority will say competitive games in which everyone plays and has fun. Given a choice between fun and winning, most would say having fun. They would rather play on a losing team than sit on the bench of a winning team.

One of the reasons against early specialization often overlooked by parents is that the year-round commitment and extensive travel it often requires can become so consuming that childhood essentially disappears, interfering with normal child development.

A good pre-season meeting provides a forum for parents to have their questions and concerns answered. Here are twenty-one questions parents should consider asking.

The explosion of highly competitive sports programs for kids under twelve (e.g. travel soccer, hockey, etc.) would have you believe that your preteen is ready, indeed eager for intense competition.  They aren't.

The most successful sports seasons are the ones that begin with a pre-season meeting of coaches, team moms, parents and players. A preseason meeting sets a positive tone for the season by opening the lines of communication early so everyone is on the same page and understands and agrees on what they expect from one another.

While the benefits of sports participation are well known, less publicized are the downsides of such participation. A study by researchers at Pennsylvania State University published in the October 2007 issue of American Sociological Review suggests that athletes who participate in contact-heavy team sports, such as football, are more likely to commit violence off the field.

Youth sports have become big business, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees every year. Yet most operate with virtually no oversight. Here's how to hold them accountable.