By looking at a definition, we are reminded of what organized sports can be at their best. The word “game” is defined as “activity engaged in for diversion or amusement.” Are your teen’s sports events diversion or amusement? What ways does your teen benefit from participating in sports?

Sports can encourage positive character traits and life values. Sports participation can teach the importance of teamwork, co-operation and hard work. Youth can learn important fundamentals such as ethics, following rules, respecting authority figures, winning and losing with grace, coping with success and failure, and goal setting.

Look at why youth participate in sports. Among the reasons common to both boys and girls are to: improve skills, stay in shape and get exercise, learn new skills, and do something at which they may already excel. Some youth enjoy competition but there must be a healthy balance between competition, cooperation and having fun. The sport itself should not be completely focused on an “I win, you lose” philosophy. Learning new things, helping each other improve and having fun while doing so all contribute to a healthy sports environment.

To further healthy experiences around organized sports, parents need to examine their own attitudes. Sometimes parents want to live vicariously through their teen’s efforts. Red flags for parental behaviour might include: sharing credit for a victory or personal best, coaching from the sidelines, making mental notes to talk about with their teen after the event, or becoming disrespectful of officials. If parents find themselves behaving these ways, it’s time to take a step back.

What can parents do if their teen is involved in high school sports?

First, try to be realistic about your teen’s abilities. Few teens go on to university sports, fewer yet make it all the way to their senior year and very few young adults eventually become professionals.

Whenever possible, encourage the positive outcomes from sports mentioned earlier. You can help do that – and keep sports fun – by supporting a balance of competitive sports and involvement in other activities, as well as family time in the life of your teen. You can also serve as a good role model by applauding and cheering for all team members, being respectful of opponents and officials, talking with the families of other team members and focusing on the positive.

– Colleen Gengler is a family relations educator with University of Minnesota Extension

The post Make School Sports A Positive Experience appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Keep a sense of humour when you work with kids in the kitchen. Begin with talking about family food traditions. Children love to hear about what their parents did or didn’t like to eat as children.

Plan ahead and choose foods the kids can easily help make. Don’t choose the caramel recipe that is tricky to make. Choose with success in mind. Have them help make the grocery list and plan their role in the baking. Anticipation is part of the excitement.

Consider the ages of your grandchildren. Preschoolers have shorter attention spans and like instant results. Have them do simple things like rolling dough into balls, sprinkling decorations or stirring foods. Elementary-age kids are capable of more involved tasks. With supervision they can measure ingredients, use a mixer and help take things out of the oven. Older children can do the whole task with only minor supervision.

Structure the activity. Think ahead to the steps and have some of that planned out especially with the very young children.

Determine upfront how much mess you are willing to tolerate. This is the thing that may stop many grandparents from having their grandkids cook or bake. Children need to learn that cleanup is part of kitchen duty, so delegate accordingly. Grandparents should not be stuck with the entire cleanup job if it has been a family activity.

Encourage taking turns with tasks, or work with one child at a time if possible. Stay flexible and calm when something doesn’t work out. A child will pick up

clues on how you deal with less-than-perfect situations and will copy your actions. If the cutout cookies aren’t perfect, does it matter?

Cooking with grandchildren is really more about the experience than the end product. Something as simple as baking cookies together, and sharing them, can contribute to a child’s self-esteem. The finished product gives children proof of

their competence and accomplishments.

With a little planning and forethought, working in the kitchen may become something you do together regularly.

The post Cooking With Grandchildren appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.