How are overbearing sports parents harmful to children - Coursework Example

How are overbearing sports parents harmful to children Sports play an instrumental role in the development of a child. They are not only critical for physical growth, but sports are also important for the psycho-social development of a child. Therefore, all the children who are of school going age i.e. 5 to 16 years of age are encouraged to participate in physical activities like sports, aerobics and even dancing. The involvement of children in different forms of physical training helps them in gaining confidence, it optimizes their muscular and skeletal growth, and it also helps them in winning friends. The types of sports or physical activities may vary across cultures, however, it is universally accepted that children must be encouraged to participate in sports actively alongside their education. The reason behind encouraging young minds to involve in sports is to teach them the skill of balancing life and work. Children who abstain themselves from sports are often find complaining in the later life about isolation and other associated psychological issues like depression, anxiety and frustration. It has been proved medically, sports during adolescence and early years of adulthood helps individuals in fighting frustration and depression, which is very common among young people these days. Sports activate serotonin release and uptake, which circumcises the accumulation of testosterone, a hormone released in state of stress and anxiety, and it is a cause biochemical cause of aggression among youth. The attitude of children towards sports may vary, some children like playing them, some avoid them, and then there is a third category, where children do not have much of the option, it is their parents call that they are supposed to obey. Definitely, sports may promise a charismatic career for few, but spending extra energy on sports, sometimes may lead to undesired consequence. It has been often observed that parents who have had some association with sports try to influence their child’s development with their lost years of athletic glory. Before analyzing the effect of overbearing sports parents on their children, one must consider the various parenting styles in general. Generally speaking, there are three main styles of parenting that includes the authoritarian parenting, the authoritative parenting and the permissive parenting (Frankl n.p.). The authoritarian style is based on shear dominance of the parents, in this case parents establish some rules for their children, and in case of disobedience the child is punished. On the other extreme the permissive parents are dominated by their children, and parents submit themselves for children’s demands (Holt et al 37). Meanwhile, the authoritative style seems a much intelligent approach, it relies on consequential learning, parents do establish some rules for their children, which are obviously required for making children, learn discipline, but these rules are not that rigid as in the case of authoritarian style (Holt et al 37). Overbearing sports parents belong to the most undesired category of parenting style i.e. the authoritarian parenting. The problems associated to this type of parenting style have long lasting effects in the development of a child. A child whose parents force him or her to exert in sports without his consent may find it hard to act normally (Lindstrom 235). The pressure of ace performance may instigate stress and other psychological disorders. Further, a person who is made to pursue goals that are not his own, usually fails in the longer run, and may have to face a certain degree of discontentment towards him- or herself. Therefore, forcing children to grab the maximum or beat everyone else in the playground must be avoided. Encouraging children to pursue their dreams is not bad, neither providing them with options to select fields for themselves, but imposing personal dreams on children as a parent is criminal (Lindstrom 235). Overbearing parenthood is a problem, but what are the main forces that encourage parents to develop an overbearing attitude. It is the desire of every parent to see his or her child progress and succeed more than others and at least more than what they have achieved in their lives. In case of overbearing sports parents, there are four main driving forces, they include personal expectations, economic, social and cultural (Hopper & Jeffries 18). In case of personal expectations, the parents expect too much from their children, they set certain goals, and want their children to achieve them, some of these expectations may be associated with their past; for example, a retired college football player may want his son to exceed his achievements, and play for national or club level. The economic determinants are associated with scholarships that offered to students for their participation in school level sports, and on a limited extent the economic factor may entice parents to see their children making fortune from ever expanding sports industry. Social factors are always in force, and usually they are associated with the economic forces. Last but not the least is the cultural influences, usually it has been observed that some families promote sports more than others, this because sports are a part of their family culture, and they want to continue their family legacy (Hopper & Jeffries 18). Living others’ dreams, following someone else’s orders, and striving to meet others’ expectations for trivial gains like economic wellbeing, social acceptance or uplifting family legacy can lead to undesired consequences (Frankl n.p.). Children who are forced by their parents to perform well in the field are often complained of stress. This stress may act as a hindrance in their journey to self-actualization. Moreover, stress is the root cause to some of the extremely dangerous disorders (Harwood and Knight n.p.). The ever increasing burden may force a child to look out for stress releasing drugs, and turning him into a drug addict; the failure to meet others’ expectations may turn one into a depressed individual; and all these anomalies may instigate suicidal thoughts in a person. Therefore, it is recommended that parents must understand their role of caretaker and a facilitator; they must not become the drivers of their children’s lives. They should nourish their children, and protect them from hazards, but they must not compromise their children’s right to choose and to grow, in lieu of their personal desires. Bibliography This article is related to overbearing sports parents, who exert pressure on their children to achieve maximum. Frankl has tried to explain the problems that may arise due to the over involvement of parents in child’s physical activities. Harwood, Chris and Camilla Knight. "Stress in youth sport: A developmental investigation of tennis parents." Psychology of sport and exercise 10.4 (2009): 447-456. The main subject of inquiry in this research article is the stress associated with youth sport. This study emphasizes on the different factors that may contribute to increasing stress within young minds. Holt, Nicholas L., Katherine A. Tamminen, Danielle E. Black, James L. Mandigo, and Kenneth R. Fox. "Youth sport parenting styles and practices." Journal of sport & exercise psychology 31, no. 1 (2009): 37. The main subject of this article is outlining the various parenting styles that are prevalent among families, and their influence on the youth sports. Holt et al., have further evaluated the importance of parenting style in the development of child’s attitude towards sports. Hopper, Chris and Stephen Jeffries. "Coach-parent relations in youth sport." Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance 61.4 (1990): 18-22. In this article Hopper and Jeffries have studied the relationship between coaches and parents. They have tried to undermine the different parameters associated to this relationship, and the influence that this relationship has on youth sport. Lindstrom, Bremer, Karin. "Parental Involvement, Pressure, and Support in Youth Sport: A Narrative Literature Review." Journal of Family Theory & Review 4.3 (2012): 235-248. A literature review, usually compile the date published in scholarly articles related to a particular subject. In this article the author has evaluated the parental involvement and its effects on child’s participation in support. This article outlines the various research findings and their validity to the subject of parents’ involvement in children’s sports. Read More