Parenting Tips for the Sidelines

The Huffington Post shared an article entitled, “10 Tips for Soccer Parents on the Sidelines.” Bruce Reyes-Chow, a pastor, parent and writer, says one of the top parenting tips to remember is to cheer, not coach. Bruce stresses that your child probably won’t hear what you yell during the game either way, but if they do, you want the message to be overwhelmingly positive and cheerful! He suggested cheering not only for your child but for their teammates – and even the opposing team when they make a nice play. One of the other parenting tips we thought was particularly important was to learn the rules of the game. Bruce said, “My advice is to find the parent who REALLY does know the rules, is not intense and is willing to help the cheering section learn the rules and nuances of the game. Nothing is worse than being the one who blurts out, “NO WAY!!!!” as everyone else looks away as if to say, “Actually, yes way.” If your child plays soccer, Bruce has a few bonus tips for you that are crowdsourced from soccer moms and dads. Check out the article here.