The beginning of a new year is the time most of us like to take set new resolutions to better ourselves as individuals. But what about sports parents? For sports parents, in particular, it's when they step back to re-evaluate their role and think about all the things they can improve to support their kids better.
We surveyed 1,000 U.S. parents whose children are actively involved in organized sports to find out their biggest resolutions related to games, practices, schedules, and healthy lifestyle choices and here's what they told us.
1. They want to get involved with practice and training
We all know this: Being a Sports Parent is a full-time job. Racing from field to field, juggling between multiple kids in different sports, it has become a priority for parents to make sure they don't miss practice time.
2. They want to show up on time
Being late at practice is never a fun experience, parents want to commit to showing up on time to avoid the stress related to tardiness and allow their kids to have time to get ready for practice or games.
3. Volunteering in running the team matters
It takes a lot of time, effort and people to run a sports team efficiently. Coaches and team managers do a hefty job at keeping things together, and parents want to step up their game in 2020 to participate more in collaborating to making things happen for the team.
4. Meal Planning is a must
Life is so busy, but it has become increasingly important to find a good sports-life balance to enjoy family moments outside of the field. Parents want to get better at mean planning so they can make time to have more meals together.
But... What about new resolutions to better your family life? On Scott Herrold's podcast, Mark Bachman, FlipGive's CEO, also talks about the top 4 resolutions on every sports parents' list and what sports parents can do to find quality time for their families in 2020. Here are some of his recommendations to finding quality time as a sports family.
1. Make the sports activities fun for the entire family
We spend lots of our personal time as a family to make sure to make things happen for our kids. For most parents, turning sports into a family event is even more challenging as they have to balance multiple kids in sports and split in order to attend all their kids' sports-related activities. Finding a way to make this time fun is crucial for your family's health and keep a strong family identity.
2. Learn to Say No
Great opportunities such as extra training or extra games will come up, but parents need to learn to say no to some things in order to protect family life. Picking sports activities wisely is also a way to avoid burn-out, for both parents and kids.
3. Make intentional family time on the days off
Family time often gets lost in between practices, games, school, social life and work. Intentionally scheduling family time outside of sports and more importantly sticking to it on a consistent basis, is a big part of keeping things together within the family.
4. Make sure that the kids are still into it
When sports activities are starting to feel like a job and less like fun for kids, it's time to re-evaluate and do things differently. Playing sports involves many trade-offs for everyone in the family, kids can feel like sports are starting to be a chore and get burned out by the pressure involved in spending so much time playing. It's also easy for parents to get carried away with high expectations for their kids, it might be challenging at times but sports parents should take the time to be supportive and let the kids enjoy their journey.
5. Get better at raising funds for sports
It's a no brainer, if you don't spend your Saturday selling raffle tickets or chocolate bars to raise money for your kid's team, you'll enjoy that time to have fun together. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to avoiding traditional fundraising and earning funds for your team effortlessly from home without disrupting your family time. With FlipGive, there is no more selling to your family, friends or coworkers. You can simply raise money through the purchases you are already making as a family on groceries, gas, restaurants, retail and more. Learn more about our mission, or how you can create a fundraising team today for free.
Are you ready for the new year?
Learn more about Scott Herrold's podcast here: https://www.sosradio.net/podcasts/scott-herrolds-podcast/episode/mark-bachman-finding-quality-time-in-sports-families/?autoplay=1
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