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. 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 feeling a bit taller and came back with a stellar performance in the next game.

If you’re struggling with just exactly how to believe in your children, I’d like to suggest three ways you can show your children that you believe in them.

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1. Believe for them

There are times when your children will not be able to summon the courage to believe in themselves. I’ve seen this so many times in 22 years of being a sports mom. My kids doubted themselves, yet I knew they had the capability to succeed. I saw how hard they’d worked. I’d watched them struggle and persist. When game time came, I was confident they would be able to do their jobs.

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.

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2. Believe in them

When you believe in something, you dedicate yourself to that cause. In the same way, when you believe in your children in youth sports, you are dedicating yourself to the cause of helping them grow and succeed.

Believing in something means your actions and words are focused on propping up that cause.

Are you committed to the cause of helping your children succeed? Do the things you say and the way you act promote their 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 them or how many hours you are in the car driving them around to practices and games.

It’s about your positive attitude, your support, your willingness to let your children 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 children may never fully acknowledge, but they will most definitely reap the rewards from in their character growth.

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3. Believe alongside of them

Believing alongside of your athletes means celebrating when they reach goals, when they work hard and see results, when they have victory. It also means helping them up when they fail, hugging them when they are discouraged, listening to them when they are frustrated and just need to rant.

How is doing this believing in your children? Because when your children know you are there supporting and encouraging, they feel 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? Do your children know you believe for them? In them? Alongside of them?

If you focus on believing in these three ways, your children will go a long way toward reaching their full potential.

Janis B. Meredith is a life coach for sports parents. She provides resources to help parents give their children a positive and growing youth sports experience. Learn more about how she can help parents have Less Stress and More Fun in Youth Sports.