Have you ever seen the impact that can happen when you believe in your athlete?
I love the story of how belief helped my son in his senior year of high school football. He’d had a bad game at quarterback on Friday night and went home for the weekend wondering if he’d get replaced. On Monday, the coach called him into his office and told him three reasons why he believed in him and why he wanted him to succeed. My son walked out of that meeting a bit taller and came back with a stellar offensive performance in the next game.
If you’re struggling with just exactly how to believe in your child, I’d like to suggest three ways that you can show your child that you believe in him or her.
#1 Believe for Them
There are times when your child will not be able to summon the courage to believe in himself. I’ve seen this so many times in 22 years of being a sports mom. My kids doubted themselves and yet I knew that they had the capability to succeed. I saw how they’d worked hard. I’d watched them struggle and persist. So when game time came, I was confident that they would be able to do their job.
However, sometimes kids don’t believe in themselves, even though they’ve worked at it. This is the time when you believe for them.
You’ve got this!
You’re gonna be awesome!
I’m proud of how hard you’ve worked!
Knowing that Mom or Dad believes in them can give them the boost they need to go out and play their best.
#2 Believe in Them
When you believe in something, you dedicate yourself to that cause. In the same way, when you believe in your child, you are dedicating yourself to the cause of helping her grow and succeed.
Believing in something means that your actions and words are focused on propping up that cause.
Are you committed to the cause of helping your child succeed? Do the things you say and the way you act promote her growth or hinder it? This may be time for a little self-evaluation. The answer to the question is not just about how much money you spend on her or how many hours you are in the car driving her around to practices and games.
It’s about your positive attitude, your support, your willingness to let your child struggle and work through the battles. That kind of believing in him takes hard work from you. It’s not just saying an easy “I believe in you”, it’s showing your belief in ways that your child may never fully acknowledge, but he will most definitely reap the rewards from in his character growth.
#3 Believe Alongside of Them
Believing alongside of your athlete means celebrating when she reaches goals, when she works hard and sees results, when she has victory. It also means helping her up when she fails, hugging her when she is discouraged, listening to her when she is frustrated and just needs to rant.
How is doing this believing in your child? Because when your child knows you are there supporting and encouraging, he feels your belief, without you even really expressing it. Belief is not always spelled B-e-l-i-e-f; sometimes it’s spelled out in other words, like celebration, patience with moodiness, and trust.
How about it, parents? Does your child know that you believe for him? In Her? Alongside of him?
I’m pretty sure if you focus on believing in these three ways, your child will go a long ways towards reaching her full potential.
Are you struggling in knowing how to believe in your child? Or perhaps you face a roadblock in your parenting? In your sports parenting?
I’m a certified life coach who can help you. I’m not a counselor, therapist, or even a consultant. I will not tell you what to do, but I will help you figure out what to do.
I believe so strongly in the value of life coaching (I’m being coached myself) that I will give you your first two sessions for only $25 each, over 50% off the usual hourly rate. Contact me at sportsparents@rcfamilies.com and mention the code: jbmcoaching.