As a relatively new parent I now have first-hand knowledge that the theory of parenting is much easier than the daily test of living it out - soccer parenting adds an extra twist to an already complex job.

In my last blog article I spoke about the importance of parents leaving the coaching and scoreboard to the players and coaches, instead they should focus on embracing all the opportunities for life lessons that a youth soccer experience presents - handling win/losses, bad referee calls, tough opposition, disagreement with a teammate, injury, reduced playing time, personality difference with the coach etc.

Taking your hands off the coaching and results is not easy. As parents we want to advocate and speak up for our children, we want to help their journey to be as easy as possible - short term it may help, longer term it actually stifles their development. You’ve got to be intentional about letting go of the coaching and worrying about the scoreboard, or else the emotions of the game will suck you back in. There will be times you will want to speak out but the goal is to learn to bite your tongue - instead you should be on the lookout for all the amazing teachable moments that youth soccer gifts. Again, there is always a time and place to address concerns - it is certainly not before or after a game when emotions can be high.