Children's physical activity is essential for health, and sport is a way of creating healthy habits in this regard. But, are parents always favoring good sport practice? What attitudes do parents have to the sport of their children?
We must bear in mind that we can be doing a weak favor by showing a certain attitude to the sport (of the child or others), or to convince them to practice this or that sport.
The following examples may seem exaggerated, but they show trends in which to classify "sporty" or "unsportsmanlike" parents. A typification that speaks of "fanatical parents", "coaching parents", "indifferent parents" ... Surely all these qualifications we put face.
We clarify that not only do we refer to male parents, although they are generally the ones who wear "boots" on this issue, but also include mothers who support or spoil what it could be to enjoy a sport, in combination or not with your partner.
Unsportsmanlike parents
Before sports, there are these types of "unsportsmanlike" fathers and mothers:
The fanatic father, typical of many films where the parent is exalted if the referee whistles against his son's team or he suffers a foul ... He is the one who seeks victory for his son above all things, does not respect the decisions of the referees and judges, he uses hostile vocabulary (even against his own son), he is always protesting and looks forward to cheating, cheating or violence if it leads to victory.
The sportsman frustrated father. They are parents who have wanted to stand out in a sport and have not succeeded. They are frustrated athletes and transfer their frustration to their children. They usually choose for their children the activity in which they have failed, without taking into account the preferences of the children, which is clearly counterproductive, since this attitude usually causes rejection and even hatred towards the father's favorite sport. Gifts and incentives revolve around that sport, and invest time and money in training the child in an activity that is not always to his liking.
The coach coach. This father profile, looks for in his son an elite athlete. As a general rule, the pleasure of the game for hard training is obvious. This type of training causes physiological and psychological risks since neither the organism nor the mind of a child are prepared for overtraining. This type of parents also tend to disregard the advice of coaches and teachers, since they think they know everything. At this point we remember the other side of the medal, a documentary that shows the excesses that occur to make children win in their sports, with parents who either allow it, or they themselves participate in inhuman training.
The representative father. The figure of the manager taken to fatherhood. In children who have good physical or sports qualities, the father offers his son's sports “rights” to a sports club or entity. In short, do business on behalf of the child. It can even cause a change of the child's team, regardless of their preferences or their group of friends, to sign for a club that promises money in the medium or long term.
The indifferent father. It is associated with parents who do not care if their children practice sports or not. They simply point the children to a sports club or buy them some skates, bicycles ... so they can spend time entertaining while they do other activities. The purpose of the tutor is not an integral and sports training of his tutor, but having free time consists of a sporting activity (without caring about anything else).
The overprotective father. It is the father who prohibits his son from performing physical or sports activities because they are susceptible to generating injuries or blows. They tend to prefer that their son play football on the console than on the sports court. And although it is clear that we must avoid risks in children's sports, with this attitude they inhibit the fundamental right of the child to play, to interact and to grow in a social, collective and group environment.
Sporting parents
The sporting father, on the other hand, it shows the following characteristics, which we already list when talking about this type of father who incentivizes sport appropriately:
- It supports and encourages the sport practice understood as a comprehensive training process that fosters social relationship and group integration.
- It takes into account the sports interests of the child and not theirs.
- Knows how to distinguish between danger and overprotection.
- Practice whenever you can physical activity with your children.
- Respect the decisions of the coach and referees, teaching their children that the game also has rules that must be taken into account to have a good time.
- They make their children see that the purpose of school sports is recreation and socialization, above sports results.
- Teach to win with humility.
- Teach to lose with sportsmanship.
- Discriminates disrespect for peers, rivals, coaches or referees.
- It promotes sportsmanship and nonviolence.
Sport or physical activity must be practiced as a game, individually or in groups, interacting with classmates and in a usual way.
Since we are babies, parents can promote physical activity, and once they grow up and show interest in playing sports, we have to be that kind of parents who try to support and accompany them in their sports, acquiring new healthy and fun learning.
