It’s much easier to enjoy your child’s sports experience if you’re not stressing over it. Here are five reasons why parents who enjoy youth sports are able to relax and just watch their children play.

They understand that this is youth sports

Stressed sports parents have forgotten this simple truth and it shows in their overreactions to what they don’t like or understand. Tense moms and dads are also usually over-involved, sometimes trying to live vicariously through their child. Understanding that it’s children’s sports can bring parents back into perspective.

They let the coach do their job

The job of the coach is to manage the team, teach skills and show kids that sports can be fun and exciting. A parent’s job is to support the coach and team and to do what they can to ensure their child is having a positive experience.

If a mom or dad feels the coach isn’t fully doing their job, there are proper channels for handling that. However, overriding the coach’s authority is not one of them.

They stay away from sympathy groups

One of the best ways that I know of to remain positive about a season is to steer clear of folks who are bent on being negative. When you see the clusters of sympathy fans and parents who gather to complain and cause conflict, stay away! Their negativity is toxic and will surely stir up some stress in your spirit.

They don’t compare

As the saying goes, comparison steals joy. I would add that it also stresses you out because those who compare are never at ease with competition.

There’s always going to be someone who’s a better athlete than you child. When it comes to comparisons though, remember that each child is unique and parenting them is not a competitive sport.

They see the bigger picture

Whenever I’m looking for something on google maps, I always find it and then zoom out to see the bigger picture so I can get a better idea of just exactly where it is.

That’s a habit that every sports parent needs to cultivate. It’s okay to focus on one game or season but if you keep your focus small, you’re more likely to feel stress if everything is not going just right. True clarity only comes as you zoom out to see the bigger picture of the role of youth sports in your child’s life.

I hope you are not stressing out as a sports parent. It’s a giant waste of time and energy – trust me, I’ve done it myself. Don’t let the strain of sports suck the fun out of the experience for you and your child.

Janis Meredith is a family life coach who wants to help all parents raise champions. You can find out more at rcfamilies.com.