The role of parents in their children’s sports development

Accompanying young people in their development process through sports is crucial for their well-being.

The importance of physical exercise is remarkable in all the ages in which it is practiced from reducing the effects of aging to the development of social skills in childhood. And it is at this stage that it is most strongly emphasized.

But, of course, in childhood one is not completely self-sufficient, so adult support is necessary. What is the role of parents in their children's sports development? Let's take a look at those aspects of day-to-day training in which they are directly or indirectly involved.

Parents facing their children's sports development.

From a few decades ago to the present, sports have been gaining more and more relevance in every home. The multitude of extracurricular activities offered by different organizations have made sport an alternative leisure activity.

Gone is the lack of involvement of fathers and mothers in the sports practice of their sons and daughters who used to go out to play in the park without any danger and avoided "getting into trouble".

Nowadays, parents' interest has been growing little by little, considering sport as a beneficial practice for their children's physical development. as a beneficial practice for the physical, social, health and leisure development of their sons and daughters.The practice of sports by each member of the family has become much more important and helps to create and strengthen family synergy.

In many cases, this practice supposes the commitment and dedication of the parents who become the main means of transportation to training sessions and competitions, help physical and psychological recovery from injuries and promote healthy lifestyle habits.They help physical and psychological recovery from injuries and promote healthy lifestyle habits. The realization of one or more sports in each member of the family generates an economic expense and a family organization that goes beyond sports.

The benefits of sports

That parents invest so much time and effort in the physical exercise of their sons and daughters is not nonsense, and it is that it has been proven that the practice of sports has countless benefitsThe following benefits: takes care of our physical health (improves circulation, strengthens the heart, oxygenates the brain better...) and mental health through the improvement of cognitive processes such as attention, memory or language and psychological well-being through variables such as self-esteem or self-concept, helps in academic performance thanks to its "de-stressing" and motivating power that serves as positive reinforcement, promotes values such as respect, cooperation, equality or tolerance and is a basis for social learning, among others.

Ways to participate in their training

The role that parents decide to take in their children's sports will be fundamental for their later development, hence the importance of evaluating and assessing the involvement of young people with their sport.. Depending on the child's needs, parents should adapt their stimulation to a greater or lesser extent and in one direction or another to avoid risk situations such as burnout, injuries or withdrawal from sports practice.

Similarly, the role of the parent should not be mixed with that of the coach, as this would lead to an intercontextual conflict. would provoke an intercontextual conflict that would affect the child's sporting life in different ways. Coherence and cooperation should be the cornerstone of the relationship between the two for the athlete's own good.

Enjoying the sport, learning with it and improving thanks to it, are the three fundamental premises in grassroots sports that should not be mixed with those of high competition or performance. Terms that unfortunately, nowadays are blurred in very early ages.

The implication that parents can dedicate their sons and daughters to sport should encourage the practice of sport and contribute to the good psychological and mental functioning of the athlete. should encourage the practice of sport and contribute to the good psychological and mental functioning of the athlete, turning sport into a common bond that proposes new goals and joint hobbies, that respects the autonomy of the child and that progressively achieves the integral development of the athlete through a stable and lasting parent-child bond.