The place where parent-athlete relationships usually start to go wrong is with goals. Parents often don't take the time to explicitly examine their own goals for their children, or ensure that their behavior is consistent with their identified goals...Nor do they consider that their goals may not match their son's or daughter's goals!

The 100-point exercise will help you meet these challenges. Try the following:

·     Identify your top five goals for your child's sports experience

·     Assign points to each goal, in terms of their importance to you, so the total points equal 100

·     Commit to ensuring your words and actions, on and off the playing fields, are consistent with the goals you've identified

The final piece to the puzzle? If your child is old enough, ask him or her to do the exercise. The similarities and differences you discover will serve as talking points for wonderful conversations that will help all of you get the most from your young athlete's sports experience!