What should our children learn from youth sports?

Respect? Discipline? Commitment? Sportsmanship?

Faith? Trust? Loyalty? Honor? Integrity? Passion?

 

How do we measure success for young athletes?

How many championships they win?

Or what kind of adults they grow into?

 

The lessons we teach our children in practice and on the playing field create the foundation our children carry into adulthood. I want my children to enjoy their sports careers and I want them to learn important lessons along the way. I wrote Why We Play because I want my children to enjoy the sports they play. I want them to learn how to enjoy life. Why We Play is a gift from a father to his children - a gift from the heart.

 

As a gift from the heart, Why We Play is first and foremost a statement of unconditional love and support, because sometimes parents and children do not communicate these cornerstone feelings when reviewing the events of a practice or the outcome of a competition. I want my children to know that my love for them is not based on their performance - that proud and disappointed do not equate to loved and unloved.

 

We all know that champions are built from the inside out, and we all want our children to be winners. Why We Play is my attempt to write down the beliefs and values that I believe will help my children win the right competition - observations that help explain how the lessons learned on the playing field transcend sports. I want my children to understand that winners do their best every day, whether it is on the soccer field, in the classroom, at home, or in the community.

 

I do not pretend to have all the answers, and Why We Play, by itself, will not solve any family relationship problems. I simply hope that something in Why We Play will help parents better communicate with their own young athletes, just as it has helped strengthen the relationships I have with my children.

 

A letter from the author.

Why We Play: Your Journey in Soccer

Paperback (176 pages)

$15.00 US (this price includes shipping)