Courtesy: Elizabeth Wickham
There are swim parents that we love being around. We can’t wait to sit with them at meets and cheer together for our kids. These parents are positive, fun and helpful team players. Then there are others who are more self-involved, focused only on their child and can spread disharmony in the stands. Take a look at great parents and see what makes them stand out from others. We can all learn from them.
Here are 11 traits super swim parents share:
ONE
Are supportive of their kids and offer unconditional love — regardless of personal bests or adding time.
TWO
They get their children to practice consistently.
THREE
They don’t compare their swimmers to others.
FOUR
They are open and inviting to newer swim parents.
FIVE
You won’t see them gossiping on the pool deck.
SIX
Are interested in how their children’s friends are doing.
SEVEN
If there’s a job that needs doing, no matter how big or small, they’ll step up.
EIGHT
They will help out families who can’t take their kids to a meet or practice.
NINE
They’re supportive and loyal to their children’s team.
TEN
They always have a positive comment or thought and leave the negativity behind.
ELEVEN
They understand their role as a parent and let the coaches coach.
What other traits do you notice in super swim parents?
Elizabeth Wickham volunteered for 14 years on her kids’ club team as board member, fundraiser, newsletter editor and “Mrs. meet manager.” She’s a writer with a bachelor of arts degree in editorial journalism from the University of Washington with a long career in public relations, marketing and advertising. Her stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Parenting and Ladybug. You can read more parenting tips on her blog.
A lot of time I heard no compare others, it’s just a joke. This is a competition, what wrong about it?
The problem is that another child is a moving unpredictable target. Absolutely, use the kid in the lane next to you to push you in the race, but if your swimmer’s primary focus to beat so and so, he or she is likely going to end up frustrated. That other kid may hit puberty first, have a major growth spurt or just might be the next GOAT. Your child can have a much more fulfilling and likely longer career if they focused on their own best times.
They try swimming so they know what their swimmer is going through and how remarkable it is.
LOL, I don’t need to struggle through 50y of dog paddle to appreciate how bad-a, err, tough, all those kids are doing 5,000+y!
“They don’t compare their swimmers to others”
like…. NEVER?
I know the article is about swim parents, not just swim moms, but as the title is “Swim Mom: …,” you wouldn’t expect a few swim dads to COMPLETELY dominate the picture.
Swim Mom refers to Elizabeth.
How can u tell people are gossiping on the pool deck? How do u know what they are talking about??
Because gossip gets around. People that troll mom-columnists on swimswam are usually the biggest problems on a team.
Gossip only gets around if u participate
Mirror on the wall
Not trolling anyone
Preaching gets old
Parents shouldn’t be on the pool deck