Hey, parents! Do you remember playing? Street football? Sandlot baseball? Dodgeball? Tag? Why did you play? The answer is easy.

Playing is fun.

When we begin to impose our ideas of winning and competition on our kids, or the kids we coach, we are threatening the core and foundation of their interest in being active.

Coach Boyle mentions the kids who quit because they’re not getting much playing time. What isn’t mentioned is that most parents whose kids are only going to play 4 minutes won’t bother going to the game.

What’s the message to the player? ‘If you’re not one of the best, you’re not worth my time.’

Fair? No.

Common? Hell, yes.

Parents, your kids play for the same reasons that you did when you were little. It’s fun. They love it. I daresay that even the kid who sits on the bench but loves the game is having fun watching it. She’s still a part of the team. She’s got a front row seat. She has a chance to improve at a game she loves every afternoon after school. What’s not to love?

The next time your young player comes home, be she benchwarmer or starter, don’t ask the score. Don’t ask how she played.

Ask her if she had fun.

Because that’s the point.