How to Prepare your Child for a Loss in Sports
You know, everyone wants to see their child succeed, and everyone wants their child to become the next Babe Ruth, but the truth is, everyone loses at some point. Sure, you don’t want it to happen, but it’s going to somewhere along the way, and it’s something that you’re going to need to prepare your child for, unfortunately. So how do you, and they cope with it? There are a few things that you need to remember for the inevitable event that they fall, and it’s not as serious as you think.
The Most Important Things to Remember
So what is it that you should be remembering exactly? To start, everyone loses at some point. It’s not an immediate statement on their talent, it just means that the team, or person that they were playing against was a little better. Don’t worry, this is common because while there are winners, there have to be losers. One thing that you will need to teach your child, is that there is always someone bigger, and better out there, and they need to be prepared for that. Honestly, so do you.
Encourage them to be Better
There are some parents who take this to the extreme, but when your child loses, you need to take this as an opportunity to teach them to get better at their sport. It could be baseball, it could be soccer, it could even be hockey. Whatever it reminds them to practice, and remind them to take their game to the next level. They can attend more practices, practice at home, or get together and practice with friends. Most importantly: they keep playing. You know what they say about getting back on that horse.
Continue Life as Normal
If you’re pretty enthusiastic about sports, your child will know it. They know that you want them to succeed, and they’re going to be worried that by failing, they’ve disappointed you., You need to do your best to assure them that this is absolutely untrue. You need to let them know that it’s okay to lose, but at the same time, urge them to become better.
It’s a Part of Life
Losing is a part of life, and even you’ve experienced it at some point. You can probably remember all of the disappointments and you probably remember how you felt about it. Put yourself in their shoes, and don’t change how you act around them. This is critical, and it will help them to move on.
No one likes to lose, but everyone needs to be prepared for it. Make sure that your child is prepared for it, and make sure that they’re ready to move on with their life.
TAGS: LIFESTYLE, LOSS IN SPORTS, PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR A LOSS IN SPORTS, WIN AND LOSE IN SPORT