How have parents changed over the years? Parents have become more involved in the athletic activities of their children. They believe, and rightly so, that by providing their young athletes with more opportunities that they will have a better chance at succeeding in sports. By becoming more involved, parents have, in my opinion, been guiding and making more decisions for their athletic children. With the encouragement of some youth and high school coaches, some parents have been trying to steer their children to specialize in specific sports at younger ages than ever before. Many parents also try to be more influential regarding the decision making of coaches than in the past. For example, they are more vocal about the positions that their children play and about expressing opinions regarding coaching strategies, etc. More involvement is not always better for our youth than less parental involvement. |