One of the first things you need to do is sit down and explain & help set priorities with your child. Make a list of the varyious parts of your child’s life and go over the importance of each. By explaining the importance of each element of your child’s life, they will be able to prioritize more easily. Guide them and help them make and set their own path. After family, children should know that school comes first. Sports, although a huge part of most kid’s lives, should come after family and school. Most children agree that family is a priority but as parents, it is our job to make sure they know and understand that school must come before sports. If your child objects, the best thing to do is explain that college scholarships and pro contracts are extremely remote. As parents we need to allow kids to pursue their dreams but convey the importance of education. At times, this can be a difficult balancing act.

Once priorities are set you should help your child create daily, weekly and season-long schedules. Begin by writing down all activities in order of importance and the time each will consume, include fixed time periods for homework. Be sure to include driving time and meals in your schedule. Once you have a realistic picture of the amount of time needed, help your child work out a schedule. It is a good practice to turn off television and not answer phones during homework times. If time remains after finishing homework or a particular fixed period, children should get in the habit of reading or addressing future assignments.

Open communication between coaches, teachers, parents and athletes is essential for maintaining a proper balance between sports and school. It helps if everyone is on the same page on a daily and long term basis. It is a tremendous help if both teacher and coach know what the student is doing when not with them. By knowing the athlete’s schedule, coaches, parents and teachers can plan accordingly. Parents should let coaches know as soon as possible if an athlete will miss a practice or competition because of school. Conversely, parents should alert teachers if a student may be tired or not on their “A” game following a long weekend of competitions or practices.

It should be clearly conveyed to all student athletes that participating in a sports program is a privilege and not a right. Athletes should understand that meeting their responsibilities both on & off the field, and in & out of the classroom is essential. Sometimes parents have to make tough calls, such as limiting the number of extra curricular activities or holding a student out if they are not keeping up with their schoolwork.

Balancing the demands of school and sports is not easy, but can be beneficial. Children will benefit by developing time-management skills, goal setting and prioritizing techniques. These skills will not only help your child study and play better, but will serve as life-long lessons. Lessons that will pay off long after his/her days as a student-athlete are over.

2.  Try your best to be completely honest about your child’s athletic capability, their competitive attitude, sportsmanship and actual skill level.

3.  Be helpful, but don’t coach him/her on the way to the gym, on the way home, at breakfast, and so on.

4.  Teach your athlete to enjoy the thrill of competition, to be out there trying, to be working to improve their skills and attitudes, to take the physical bumps and come back for more.

5.  Try not to relive your athletic life through your child in a way that creates pressure. You fumbled too, lost as well as won, were frightened, backed off at times, and you were not always heroic. Don’t pressure your child because of YOUR pride.

6.  Don’t compete with the coaches. Remember that in many cases, a coach becomes a hero to the athlete, someone who can do no wrong

7.  Don’t compare the skill, courage or attitudes of your child with that of other members of their team. If your child shows a tendency to resent the treatment they get from the coach or the approval other team members get, be careful to talk over the facts quietly and try to provide fair and honest counsel.

8.  Get to know the coaches so that you can be assured that their philosophy, attitude, ethics and knowledge are such that you are happy to expose your child to them

9.  Don’t over-react and rush off to the coach if you feel that an injustice has been done. Investigate, but anticipate that the problem is not as it might appear.

10.  Make a point of understanding courage and the fact that it is relative. There are different kinds of courage. Some of us can climb mountains but are afraid to get into a fight; others can fight, but turn to jelly if a bee approaches. Everyone is frightened in certain areas. Nobody escapes fear and that is just as well, since it
often helps us avoid disaster.