Your child doesn’t just want to win.
They want to make you proud.
They feel your reactions.
They hear your tone.
They notice your silence, even when you think they don’t.
When they freeze in games…
Get frustrated…
Shut down in the car afterward…
It’s rarely because they don’t care.
It’s because they care deeply.
They’re carrying expectations.
Pressure.
Fear of messing up.
Fear of disappointing you.
That’s heavy for a young heart.
They don’t need perfect parents.
They need to know:
“I’m loved even if I miss.”
“I’m safe even if I fail.”
“I’m enough even on hard days.”
Confidence doesn’t grow from correcting every mistake.
It grows when kids feel emotionally safe through their mistakes.
Sport should build your child.
Not break their spirit.
Your job isn’t to raise a champion.
It’s to raise a confident human.
The rest will follow.