Are you an over-involved parent? Have you taken the time to figure out what you want your child to gain from the sport’s experience? Are parents sacrificing their needs and the needs of the entire family to chase the myth of fame? Are parents over identifying with their child’s success and pushing them for a parent’s bragging rights?

Listen to a thoughtful and provocative discussion on understanding how seeking elite status for our kids is actually causing far more harm than good. As our top athletes perform at higher levels of achievement, those that are left behind are sitting on the couch playing video games and eating junk food. Is the epidemic in childhood obesity a direct consequence of taking the fun out of participating in sports? Where does the teenager who didn’t make the team go to continue to enjoy his sport or learn a new one?

We will also try to unravel the contradiction between a coach reacting physically to the perceived misdeeds of his swimmers and the mixed reaction of the parents – prosecute the coach or give him a round of applause?

In the last segment we will share what over 3,000 high school coaches disclosed about their concerns in dealing with parents – especially the over-involved parent and the athlete wanabees. Coaches all across the country are struggling with parents not respecting their authority, giving contradictory messages to their kids and spreading rumors and accusations through texting and social media.

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