What Are You Suffering For?

Parents, you sacrifice a lot. Early mornings, long drives, stressful weekends, and the emotional rollercoaster of playing time, performance, and comparison. You feel it. Your child feels it too. The energy you carry becomes the energy they compete with.

So the real question is this: What are you suffering for?

If the focus is external outcomes, trophies, offers, rankings, validation, the suffering never ends. Because those things disappear fast. The joy is temporary, the pressure is constant, and both you and your athlete are always chasing the next thing. That path feels heavy, and over time, it drains the love out of the game.

If the focus is internal growth, character, confidence, resilience, joy, the struggle has purpose. It builds something inside your athlete that lasts beyond sports. That is the type of suffering that shapes who they become as people, not just as players.

So ask yourself, honestly: Are you suffering for the game, or through the game?

Because when your peace no longer depends on your child’s performance, something powerful happens. Your athlete stops playing to avoid mistakes and starts playing to express who they are. The field becomes a place of growth, not judgment. You both win.

Let the journey be about who they are becoming, not just what they achieve. That is where the real influence is. That is where the joy returns.

Do You Suffer With Your Athlete?

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  No, it does not affect me as a parent
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  Yes, I suffer along with my child