Soccer Dad Pledge

My child is on the field to have fun and grow strong and healthy.
This time in their life is brief yet most important.
I must consistently be present with positive support, offering sound advice and plenty of encouragement.
I revel in their victories and bolster them through their defeats.
My example will be of self control and respect for all participants.
And I will allow them to learn unfettered by my approval.

by Robert Arista 2010

The last part of that pledge, "unfettered by my approval," is real important to understand. Letting your dad down is the worse feeling. Us dads easily forget how powerful our love is. Some of us think that our job is done with paying the bills or providing insurance and such. But our job is so much more. We hold the combination to the emotional vault. The love we hold in that vault is limitless and it can empower our children to be far more successful people than can our criticism and cynicism. Are you a dad that feels compelled to point out every mistake or display impatience with each shortcoming? Is your child the player that is constantly looking over at you after every poor play to see your frown or hear your complaint? Stop it! Shut up and enjoy the game! Perfectionism has no place in youth sports. Save it for resumes and covert military operations. My seventeen year old has never heard me yell a negative word in all his life while on the field, and he is well on his way to college ball. My point is... he is where he is at because I realized that he is way harder on himself than I could ever be. If he played poorly, he will tell me so himself. And it is then that we can analyze what should be done differently for the next game. If I have a question about a decision he made on the field, I will save it for the drive home. He has given me some pretty surprising answers. As he is playing, he doesn't need to to be worried about what I am thinking over on the sideline. He knows I'm proud of him no matter what. That is why he is a confident, self-assured kid.