What Happens When Parents Put Too Much Pressure on a Kid?

As I hear more and more soccer parents yelling from the sidelines, I’ve been wondering how much pressure is too much.

I think a little pressure from parents and coaches is a good thing but there’s a fine line between motivation and creating a toxic environment.

There are typically three outcomes that come from this:

1. The child uses it as motivation to become better.
2. The child starts to overthink everything on the field because your opinion matters to them.
3. The pressure gets to them and they can’t handle it anymore so they quit.

In my opinion, if a child experiences too much pressure, the result is #2 or #3.

Provide some input and feedback but let your child figure it out. It takes time and they usually will.

Encourage them so they can use it as a reward system to motivate themselves.

Become their biggest fan, not their biggest critic.

They are only young once. Let them play.

Your future self will thank you for not being so hard on them.