Reflections from the Sidelines: Cheering Your Kids On

I hope you have had the opportunity to enjoy some of the high school football games this fall. I enjoy going to the games and seeing, hearing, smelling, and feeling the whole spectacle.

Few things can compete for your entertainment dollar like a local game. For the students, I suppose the fifty-yard line is the center of the universe. At least during the fall. Then it becomes center court or home base.

Every player on the field wants to be the next superstar, so he is giving his very best every down. It's exhilarating when they win and heartbreaking when they lose, but knowing that is the gamble you take when you emotionally immerse yourself into the action. But the game itself is only part of the fun. I enjoy hearing and watching the bands, drill teams, cheerleaders, fans, and coaches. It all adds up to a great time and a seasonal feast for the senses.

Something occurred to me while watching a game recently. Parents are a lot like the coaches: we support our kids, back them up, encourage them, fuss at them when they lose ground, and give them instruction for succeeding, but the kids have to make the play.

We work with our children all of their lives, then stand on the sidelines and watch to see how they do. We may yell encouragement to spur them on, but we cannot join them on the field - that's a penalty.

Sometimes the crowd is yelling for them, and sometimes against them, but they have to make their own decisions and do their best. The cheerleaders on their side are jumping and shouting for them succeed, while those across the way are screaming for them to fail. They have to ignore the bad, be encouraged by the good, and make the yards. Some friends want them to do well, and some want to drag them down. Our children have to make that discernment and it's not always as easy as it is under the lights.

And it doesn't matter how musically talented a band director is, it's his or her students who have to play when they take the field. He can teach them everything he knows about making a song sound good, but then he has to watch them perform from the side, just like the other fans. The same is true of the drill team and cheerleader sponsors.

Meanwhile, the fans want their team to win, but making noise is their only way to help. A cloud of witnesses, they are great motivation for the players to try their best and put a "w" on the scoreboard, but that 12th man phenomenon only helps at the home games. It works against the team when it is on the road - when the other team's fans are trying to motivate their team. The coach has to teach his players to do their very best no matter who is watching and yelling for them. The players must be taught to ignore negative peer pressure.

So, fans make noise and cheerleaders encourage, but the coaches prepare the team and give instruction so that winning is possible. Are you a fan, a cheerleader or a coach to your children?

Our kids need to know that we are there supporting them and cheering them on, sure, but they must be equipped to do so if they are going to win. I hope we will coach them as well as our local coaches are doing, but, in truth, when the whistle blows, we are only standing on the sidelines: watching, cheering, hoping and praying.

You can contact Craig Harris at www.apparentlyso.net.