All Articles by Brooke de Lench

It is critically important that you and your child have realistic expectations about his or her development as an athlete and that you don't confuse your expectations and desires with those of your child. Parents who complain that their child has quit a sport too early may be doing so because he isn't doing what they want him to do.

Have you ever watched the Little League World Series on television? Ever notice how the players on the teams are almost always much bigger and stronger than the average twelve-year-old and look more like sixteen-year-olds?

The absence of women as coaches in youth sports has been criticized by some as one of the most backward traditions in sports today. The 42 million mothers of kids in sports represent an incredible resource. Perhaps if that resources was tapped, a new paradigm for youth sports can grow: one that will ensure that our children's sports years are more fun, safer, saner, less stressful, and more inclusive from the first day of T-ball to the last high school game.

Some children are early bloomers who enjoy success in sports because they develop faster, not because they have more raw talent. Late bloomers develop more slowly, but may be more gifted athletes. There are advantages and disadvantages for both.

Of the estimated 4.1 million youth sports coaches in the United States, only an estimated 650,000 are women. Even women who take th time to get their coaching licenses and want to coach are sometimes denied coaching positions. Find out what happens when a mom ends up coaching a team of sixth- and seventh-grade boys who are used to being coached by men.