The Responsible Athlete...

From forgetting (or neglecting) to put dishes in the dishwasher to attending practice without a water bottle, kids are irresponsible. We all know this is the case.

Is self-responsibility important? Absolutely. Many (but not all) of us tend to baby our athletes. You know what I mean--allowing her to head to school late after a long weekend of travel, buying a water bottle or Gatorade for the vending machine after she forgot to bring one from home, or purchasing a mouthguard from the soccer pro shop because she "lost" hers and didn't place the spare in her bag.

I admit it--I'm guilty of enabling my kids. I don't want to see my children miserable and forced to miss a game or practice when I can fix their mistakes. For the most part, this is human nature.

That said, I beg you to allow your children to make their own mistakes and pay the consequences. He or she will without a doubt become more responsible and remember to perform key tasks. For example, if he misses a game because he doesn't have a mouthguard, he'll surely remember to have it with him at the next game, or if he attends enough practices without water or gatorade, eventually he'll become thirsty enough and remember to pack a drink.

Now, please remind me to practice what I preach...

Kim