We Love to Watch You Play

Evidently, parents of Division I athletes have a hard time letting go. Parents call coaches, advising them how to encourage their daughter or son or ask why their kid isn't getting more playing time. I even read about parents who moved into a condo across the street from their freshman athlete’s university! To say that the kids don't like it is an understatement. As Tim Elmore notes what "parents may not recognize is the pressure and angst this kind of involvement applies." Here's what what student-athletes have been telling him ("What Parents Should Say as Their Kids Perform"):

1. I love my mom, but when she does this, I get the feeling she doesn’t trust me.
2. My parents are great, but I feel like I have multiple coaches telling me what to do and I get stressed out over it.
3. I’m getting blackballed by my teammates because my mother keeps texting me and my coach, to give suggestions. I wish she would chill.
4. I feel like I’m never quite good enough; I can never fully please my parents.

In fact, according to Elmore all we really need to tell our college age kids are six simple words: "We love to watch you play."