Resolve to be a Better Parent !

This article is from MI Hockey Kid! Great articles!

As parents we expect our kids to improve their play during the season and from year to year. We’d like them to be faster, become better playmakers, add velocity to their shots and backcheck for crying out loud!  But with the focus generally on our kids’ overall hockey abilities, wouldn’t it be great if they saw some personal skill development from their parents?  In honor of this New Year, we’ve come up with some great parental resolutions that just might make your kids want to ride in the car with you again! Not all of these will apply (we hope) but you might actually see a few here you can apply immediately.

 

As parents we expect our kids to improve their play during the season and from year to year. We’d like them to be faster, become better playmakers, add velocity to their shots and backcheck for crying out loud!  But with the focus generally on our kids’ overall hockey abilities, wouldn’t it be great if they saw some personal skill development from their parents?  In honor of this New Year, we’ve come up with some great parental resolutions that just might make your kids want to ride in the car with you again! Not all of these will apply (we hope) but you might actually see a few here you can apply immediately.

This New Year, I will  …

1. After years of demanding they do it themselves, every once in a while, carry their bags and stick into and out of the rink.
2. Stop comparing them to other kids on the team or the league
3. Not bad mouth another teammate in front of them
4. Stop talking about my kid’s ice time and let the coaches coach
5. Wait at least 24 hours before “coaching” my kid after a game
6. Pay as much attention to their school work as I do to their hockey development
7. Not watch a game in the stands if I can’t stop making critical comments during a game (go stand by yourself)
8. Pick out at least three or four kids on my own kid’s team after every game and publicly praise them for their play
9. Take the first step and make amends with “that parent” I’ve avoided or have been fighting with all season
10. Base my praise to my kid on hustle and work ethic and not just goals and assists
11. Really listen to my kid and determine whether they’re having fun and if not, come up with a remedy (ie: allow them to quit, change the level of play they’re on, be more supportive, etc.)
12. Encourage them to play other sports during the year
13. Say to myself - my kid is NOT going to the NHL, but don't tell them that