Olympic Heartbreak

Yesterday, Dutch speedskater Sven Kramer was disqualified in the 10,000 meter final. He should have won the gold. Unfortunately, Kramer's coach Gerard Kemers actually shouted instructions in error, resulting in the disqualification. You can read more about it here.

This is truly heartbreaking. But the reality is that mistakes and disqualifications happen at all levels of sports.

After seeing this at an Olympic event, kids might realize that it's not quite so bad when they or their coaches make a mistake. Here are a few examples of common mishaps in youth sports: Swimmers sometimes forget to finish with a 2-handed touch, football players catch a ball out-of-bounds, football coaches call the wrong play, baseball coaches give the wrong signal.

These types of things happen and life goes on. I commend Kramer for forgiving his coach and moving forward to his next event with class.

I've Hit My Limit!

That's right, I've had enough. I usually don't mind driving kids to sport practices, but tonight was ridiculous.

Here's the driving scenario:

1. Home to point A.
2. Point A to point B.
3. Point B to point A.
4. Point A to point B.
5. Point B to point C.
6. Point C to home.
7. Home to point C.
8. Point C to home.

That makes EIGHT trips in one evening. EIGHT! My advice to you is don't do this. Just say no.

Now, you might be thinking that I signed the kids up for all of this so it's my fault. But that's not the case. When I signed the kids up, their schedules weren't a problem. Then the swim team changed practice from late evening to early evening. And the hockey team changed off-ice practice to a different rink. This change meant that the boys had to go to off-ice at one rink, followed by hockey practice at another rink fifteen minutes down the road. Crazy!

OK, in truth, I've survived the year thus far thanks to a carpool. However, that boy separated his shoulder so he's not going to practice for a month. My backup possibility got injured too--he broke his knee cap. (Look for an upcoming post on injuries...)

Could my daughter skip practice? Sure, but she's already missed several times because of her brother's practice.

The next time that my husband is unavailable and there's no car pool, I will say no to my children. The coaches will have to understand. Period.

Did I mention homework? Two tests and a paper? It's going to be a late night...

-Kim

Give Your Child the Gift of Lessons

Ski season has arrived with a vengeance all over the country. Kids are itching to hit the slopes.

Unfortunately, parents are dropping their kids at the ski hill. Most of these kids have little or no prior experience and no clue how to ski or snowboard. They don't know how to turn, slow down, or stop.

Folks, this isn't sled riding. There are specific techniques and skills needed simply for the sake of safety. Your child could run into a tree or even another skier.

When my daughter was three, an out-of-control skier went speeding down the hill and flew right between my mom and my daughter. I saw this with my own eyes. Both were lucky to come away without injuries. However, my mom's ski pole did not survive the event. Yes, her ski pole was bent almost in half. Good thing it wasn't mom's knee.

Even if your child begs to skip the lessons, please don't give in. Remember that safety is first.

-Kim

Yikes!

Believe it or not my niece and I (Kim) were on hockey skates for the first time earlier today. I've watched a thousand youth hockey games, yet I've never had those darn slippery skates on my own two feet.

Figure skates I can handle. I'm good at using those toe picks to keep me from falling. Hockey skates? There are no toes picks. The blades are smooth from front to back so I was sliding around in all sorts of directions. (Don't worry - my son took a few minutes to show me the ropes before I took my niece out on the ice.)

The next time you yell at your child for falling down during a hockey game, striking out at bat, or kicking a weak soccer pass, give it a try yourself - it's not always so easy. You might even get a good laugh at how untalented you really are. And I'll bet (or hope) you'll lighten up on your child.

During this holiday season, have some fun and try a new sport!

Happy Holidays!

Tiger Woods is Human...and so is Your Child

With a car wreck and alleged affairs, Tiger's life has been turned upside down. I'm by no means a psychologist. I will not analyze Tiger's actions. However, a little speculation is fair game.

Tiger is a phenomenal athlete and he's human. His life exists on and off the golf course. He sleeps, he eats, and he brushes his teeth. He makes mistakes.

Just like your child, Tiger lives day-to-day life and makes choices (sometimes with a little help from others). There are many "normal" aspects to Tiger's life other than the perfect pedestal life we've seen for many years.

Too many parents expect perfection from their young athlete. Tiger Woods lived a life that we didn't see in the media. Parents need to realize that the media reports are not always reality. We all have limitations. We all make good and bad choices - it's inevitable.

I'm not saying that Tiger's alleged affairs are acceptable. But I am saying that they were his choices. He made those choices, got caught, and is facing consequences. So be it. They are his problems, not ours.

Your child is your problem. You are raising your child. Don't put your child on a pedestal. Teach your child right from wrong, the importance of going to school, getting good grades, and balancing life with sports.

I've seen parents with out-of-control expectations. You know...those parents who force their children to lift weights, play on multiple teams, and go for extra runs in addition to their team's agenda. And I've observed parents who repeatedly pull their child off to the side (to give advice) after the child strikes out or misses scoring a goal.

Whether your child is a talented athlete or not, don't expect perfection in athletics. Don't make life easy for him because you think he's the next Tiger Woods. Make sure your child does his homework, loads the dishwasher, cleans his room, and attends social events. This is true reality. Don't believe that Tiger didn't do these chores. You probably just weren't aware of it.

I'm disappointed in Tiger as a role model for young athletes. However, in many ways I'm glad that we all finally saw this side of Tiger. We can learn from it.