When my kids were playing sports in high school, I remember sharing my frustration with a friend. It was hard watching them struggle through their challenges.
My friend wisely commented, “The strongest kids I’ve seen are the ones who things don’t come to easily. The ones who have to fight for playing time, a spot on the team, or even just to improve, are the ones who in the end are the strongest people.”
I clung to those words a lot as my kids played sports. And now that they are young adults, I see the fruit of their struggle. If they’d skipped those struggles, they wouldn’t have developed into strong, determined adults. Your kids need to struggle in order to learn how to fly.
If you’re tempted to jump into your child’s struggle and try to fix it, let these things hold you back:
Janis B. Meredith, sports mom and coach’s wife, writes a sports parenting blog called jbmthinks.com. Her new book 11 Habits for Happy and Positive Sports Parents is on Amazon.