Rising Stars Jr. Cricket Academy

All parents love their children, and that is exactly how it should be. Every parent wants their child to do well, to succeed, and to reach their potential. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But I believe that, in sport, parents need to be careful of what I call the “my son” or “my daughter” syndrome.Of course your child matters to you. Of course you want them to play. Of course you should encourage them, support them and give them every reasonable opportunity to develop.

But there comes a point where we have to look beyond our own child.When everything becomes about my son, my daughter, my child's position, my child's selection, my child's opportunities, and my child's advantage, we can unintentionally create an unhealthy environment.

And that environment does not just affect the other children. It can affect your own child.
When parents put too much pressure on outcomes, selections and opportunities, the child can begin to feel that they are carrying the expectations of the entire family. Sport then stops being something they enjoy and becomes something they feel they must prove.

That is not healthy development.Sport should teach children much more than how to win. It should teach them teamwork, resilience, discipline, humility, responsibility and how to deal with disappointment.Sometimes your child will be selected. Sometimes they won't. Sometimes they will get the opportunity they wanted. Sometimes another child will get it.And sometimes, quite simply, another child may be better on that particular day.

We have to teach our children to accept those moments, learn from them and come back stronger. Yes, advocate for your child. Yes, encourage your child. Yes, provide every possible support. But don't create conditions around everyone else simply to benefit your child.
Because when parents try too hard to control the environment, promote their child at every opportunity or make everything revolve around them, those strategies often boomerang.
They don't necessarily help the child. Sometimes they do the opposite.

The greatest gift we can give our children in sport is not a guaranteed position, guaranteed selection or a guaranteed advantage.It is the ability to stand on their own, compete fairly, handle setbacks, respect others and earn their success.

Support your child fiercely, but don't build the sporting environment around your child.
That is how we develop not just better sportspeople, but better human beings.