Are We Taking Our Kids’ Sports Too Seriously? | POF132

Playing sports is a right of passage for most kids as they grow up. It’s an exciting time for kids and parents as they learn a new sport, build new skills and create new friendships. I’ve loved watching my kids play their sports and meeting new people who have become some of our closest friends. I’ve also seen parents take their kids sports too seriously and completely forget that it’s supposed to be fun, first! We all want the best for our kids and we want to give them the opportunity to be as successful as possible BUT we need to be realistic about what our true intentions are. I’m so happy to be talking to Coach Steve Morris who is a dad of three and has seen it all. His mission is to help parents be realistic about their kids sports and their potential while cheering them on and supporting them. In our super fun conversation, we talk about: How parents can make sports more fun for their kids and themselves When parents run their own agenda in encouraging (or forcing) their kids to play sports, it can lead to them rejecting the sport altogether (and them!). Why you don’t want your kids playing the same sport 365 days a year The passion for sports needs to be driven by your child, not parents Toxic coaches What parents are inadvertently doing wrong and what they can do instead Coach Steve has a copy of his list, The Great Eight, which is the 8 qualities parents need to be aware of in order to make sport fun for everyone. It’s a MUST read for every single parent with a child in sports. Download it from the Parent Toolbox: www.parent-toolbox.com About Steve Morris Steve Morris took a circuitous path to discover his life’s mission. He studied history at Yale, produced television commercials around the world, and continues to write screenplays that adorn his shelf. It came down to his energetic four-year-old wanting to play soccer for Steve to become the living, breathing embodiment of falling into something you love. With a bag of balls, dim muscle memory from playing in high school, and a cache of how-to books, he brought his son, Evan, and a dozen of his friends out to the wilds of their local southern California park, where together they dipped a toe into the wonderful world of youth sports. It wasn’t long before he was coaching every sport Evan and his siblings, Dori and Griffie, wanted to play. Over time it became clear that the playing field was leaning more toward the competition of travel teams and club sports, leaving development and recreational fun behind. In an effort to right this imbalance, Coach Steve was born, and in 1997, Coast Sports was founded. What twenty-three years ago began as an excuse for father-son bonding became a thriving business with the dual goals of recalibrating the fun-competition quotient for the kids, and assuring their parents that this was a healthier and more sustainable model for everyone’s happiness and success. Coach Steve encourages parents to enjoy their kids’ brief ten-year window in youth sports, while keeping their hopes and expectations in check. Out of the millions of young kids who enter sports, roughly 17.7% of them will play high school sports; fewer than 7% of those will play in college, and the number who go on to be professionals are infinitesimal. The most dynamic statistic is how many create life-long friendships with their teammates. Contact information: Website: https://www.whatsizeballs.com/ Email: [email protected] Social Media: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachstevela/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFP99sPxoIekg-kBBilDegA Thanks for listening! It means so much to me that you listened to my podcast! If you would like to purchase my book or other parenting resources, visit me at