Parents Guide - Part 3
BE INVOLVED
Again, this has really been a bigger deal over the past few years, but I have started to notice this very subtle push. This push kinda feels like… a push to get the parent out of the sport. I’ve seen more comments about how parents don’t need to be involved. How you should just drop your kids off at practice, pay the bill, and be on your way. Now yes, this is a more drastic statement, but I have seen lots of comments over the past couple of years from both coaches and even parents that lead me to this. Ummm… NO! Parents need to be active. This sport is for OUR kids, not anyone else. And since the kids are our responsibility we need to be involved.
I know we are all busy, especially if we have multiple kids in different sports. But try to take the time to learn the sport. Learn how things work. Learn the ins and outs of the routine. Try to learn the basics of scoring. And if you are too busy, they try to find someone who knows these things. Use them as a crutch to pick up on a few juicy morsels of information. Athletes WANT you to be involved. They want to be able to discuss practices and competitions with you instead of just the quick… “Hey, how was practice?” “Good” “Alright great”
On the same point, ask questions. If there is something you want to know, ask questions. If it pertains to something like bids or just general cheer stuff, ask a fellow mom or ask me. My DMs are always open. But if something feels off or just not right, ASK!. Don’t worry about making a coach mad or being called a crazy cheer parent. ASK!
Two more comments here (these are for the coaches)… this is a two way street between coaches and parents. If a parent does ask questions, try to make sure to answer. There needs to be respect and professionalism, even if it is a dumb question or you’ve already answered it 3 times. Included in this is GroupMe, Band, etc. If parents are asking questions on one of these platforms – answer! Don’t wait for the team mom to ask you and then for her to relay your response. Things could snowball in the meantime. Lack of communication is one of those things that really frustrates parents.
And secondly, meet your parents. Know who they are. So if they come to ask you a question, you won’t be like… “Who are you?” My daughter had a coach one year, who still to this day, I don’t think even knew who I was.