Customer Reviews

Parenting, SportsMom Style: Real-Life Solutions for Surviving the Youth Sports Scene

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If you are parent with a child who is ready for organized youth sports, you really should take the time to prepare yourself for what lies ahead. Whatever sport your child is considering, check out the new SportsMom book Parenting SportsMom Style-Real-Life Solutions for Surviving the Youth Sports Scene. This book can help you deal with the every day demands that SportsMoms everywhere must face. It will help you to use your child's sports experience to shape his or her character, values and relationship with you and with others. Especially significant is the chapter entitled "What You Should Expect From Your Child (and What Your Child Should Expect From You) which lists some of the more common complaints kids make, along with the life lessons that can be learned from these problems and how parents might help their child learn from the experience. As a long time youth coach, I found the advice given in chapter 8, The Coach and You, right on the mark. Parents and coaches both can benefit from the guidance offered in this chapter regarding a coach's authority, the importance of good coach/parent communications, the issue of kid's playing time and how parents should handle disagreements with the coach. I would suggest that SportsDads could also benefit from the information and advice these SportsMom offer. This book, as well as the SportsMom Manuals on Volley Ball, Soccer and Hockey also by SportsMoms Laurel Phillips and Barbara Stahl, can help make the world of kids' sports a far better and more enjoyable place. I hope that the world will read and benefit from their words of wisdom. ...

Between them, the authors have five children who have given them 23 years experience in seven different sports. In addition, Phillips has a degree as a registered nurse and an M.A. in Health Administration. Stahl has a B.S. in Education and is a marketing consultant. They certainly are qualified to write this book--and it shows. They take up issues directly involved in the parent-child relationship and also issues such as injuries and coaches which pertain more to the sport but can obviously have an effect on a child. They review the role sports can have in a youngster's development, and also advise parents how to learn about specific sports to be able to understand what they require of a child and what a child is experiencing. Nutrition with regard to different sports is also discussed--a subject probably not given particular consideration by many parents. The co-authors have a down-to-earth style in dealing with the wide range of subjects of interest and concern to today's parents. An outstanding, authoritative, yet practical and readable book which understands the situation and concerns of parents in this area of their children and sports.

Henry Berry

Book Reviewer

Editor/Publisher, The Small Press Book Review

As a mother of a 9-year-old hockey player/fanatic, I picked up this book for the nutrition section for athletes. I enjoyed the easy-to-read style of the book, but felt that it was a better book for beginner athletes and their parents.

Being a parent means that we have to help our children make good choices in every area of their lives. This book covers the portion involved in the youth sports arena that can get very competitive and overrated. It gives hints for all age levels and offers very good advice for busy parents. Overall, I felt that this was a great book for parents entering into the sports scene. Other parents that have been involved with sports for many years will enjoy the book but will need to look elsewhere for more detail on their particular sport(s) of choice.

A fun, easy read. Enjoy!

Being a new mother of an energetic 6 month old boy, I want to be prepared for the time when my son might say, "I want to play (name your sport)" or "I want to quit (name your sport)." Instead of picking up a thick, comprehensive literature on youth sports medicine and psychology, I decided to start with this sensible, humorous guide. Because of its straight forward brevity, even a parent of an infant can finish it before s/he turns into a toddler. If that isn't quick enough, the comical illustrations depict the profound messages. The authors stress the importance of teaching children and sports moms the "Lessons in Life" through sports. I would love to see them write one for sports dads and coaches.