Are your kids playing sports, either recreationally or with an eye towards college recruitment? Several women pro athletes (some of whom happen to be queer moms) have recently shared advice on kids in sports and how parents can best support them.
USWNT soccer greats Abby Wambach and Julie Foudy, along with tennis legend Billie Jean King, earlier this month launched the sports podcast “Welcome to the Party,” offering their fun and thoughtful takes on sports, life, and more. On a recent episode, Wambach and Foudy advised guest Rebecca Lowe (NBC’s Premier League host and Olympic broadcaster), on why kids should play multiple sports, the importance of modeling calm, what to say after games, and how to let kids lead in their sports journeys. Overall, “Let your kid lead,” said Wambach, who is raising three kids with wife Glennon Doyle. “This is all about being in conversation with your kid.”
She also said that generally speaking, parents shouldn’t attend practices. “What is the purpose of practice?” she asked, answering, “It’s not for the kid to look over their shoulder and make sure that their mom or dad or or parent is sitting on the sideline watching them.” Practice is a time for free play, taking risks, and making mistakes, she explained. If they’re only doing it because a parent is on the sideline being proud, “what we’re then doing is we’re externalizing all of our [kid’s] motivation…. And then it becomes this thing that becomes very difficult to actually curate in yourself.”
The segment starts about 16 minutes in, but the first part of the show is an update on pro women’s sports news, which you might want to hear as well.
And on a recent episode of “These Packs Puck,” from retired professional hockey players Madison and Anya Packer (about which more here), the spouses and moms of two discuss how the NCAA Div I recruitment process has changed since their own collegiate careers, the different recruitment experiences each of them had, and their advice to kids and parents going through the process now.
Like Wambach, the Packers also stress the importance of providing support but letting kids find their own motivation. “Did my mom ever shake me awake and say, ‘Hey, why don’t you go shoot a thousand pucks?'” Anya asked. “She never, ever, ever told me to do that,” she explained, adding, “But I remember being like, ‘Hey, Mom, I put a hole in the garage because I was shooting a thousand pucks.’ And the difference is, had she told me to do it, I would have done it because she said so. But I wouldn’t have done it because I wanted it.”
If your kids are in sports or might be, I hope you’ll go have a listen to these episodes—and consider subscribing to the podcasts for more insights on women’s sports, parenting (particularly on “These Packs Puck”), and other topics. While you’re at it, also check out “Post Moves,” the podcast from queer mom and WNBA legend Candace Parker and current Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston, as they offer an intergenerational take on basketball and more. (That’s right: There are now at least three podcasts about women’s sports in which queer mom professional athletes have a leading (or co-leading) role. What a time to be alive.)