Originally posted by dwelsh:... Get your own life 'dad'. Let the boy BE a boy. Let him chose his own career. . . Give him a hug. Love him unconditionally. Respect him as an INDIVIDUAL.
Thanks for sharing Mike. That was interesting. Looking forward to reading others thoughts on it. [/QB]
My thought on it is that I cannot improve on what you said in what I just quoted you on. Excellent advice for all sports dads. You are correct on all of that. It is difficult at times to let go of the influence that we are giving to them in their sports careers but we have to. My son just completed his freshman year and I let him make his own decisions on whether he wanted to wrestle Kids last year and freestyle/Greco after that. He chose not to participate in either. I felt he was making a mistake for his wrestling potential in high school, but I really believe that he has to make his own way in where he goes with wrestling and in his major life decisions like his career choices.
I enjoyed the TV series Everwood and one of the last things I remember Treat Williams "Dr. Brown" in the show saying when he was describing what he was learning about being a father and his children was that he has learned that what he likes best about his two children were those things about them that he as a dad had nothing to do with. Another good thought along with your quote for me as a dad to think about and live by.
Thanks for your input. I really liked it.
