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Parents

Don't Let Social Media Ruin the Experience

By Ontario Minor Hockey Association, 11/15/17, 3:30PM EST

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It doesn't matter how many 'Likes' a photo gets


Photo Credit: Darwin Kent Photography

Social media has become an everyday part of our lives, even more than that, it’s something that we check every few hours. With the ability to connect with all of our friends and teammates across multiple platforms, sharing pictures, notes and messages has never been easier. It’s a great way to stay up to date on everything going on in the lives of family and friends.

Parents often share exciting moments and accomplishments online because of how proud they are of their kids. However, for some it can be frustrating and they find themselves saying “Everyone’s kids are winning trophies and scoring goals but mine is not.” They can fall into a ‘have and have not’ state where they think they aren’t keeping up with their peers or doing their best for their child.

It’s important not to get lost or upset with seeing everyone else ‘winning’. People often show their best selves and accomplishments online. The ‘before’ photos of a skater falling on the ice won’t make your social news feed but the final moments ‘after’ all the hard work and trying over and over will.

Just because you don’t have a Trophy picture to post every weekend doesn’t make you a bad parent… we can bet you have plenty of pictures of your kid smiling on the ice to share!

Youth sports should be a source of enjoyment for players and spending time with teammates and friends should be more important than how many Likes a picture gets. Just because you don’t have a Trophy picture to post every weekend doesn’t make you a bad parent… we can bet you have plenty of pictures of your kid smiling on the ice to share!

Getting into the right mindset about how you view your child playing sports can bring a whole new perspective. Instead of asking “Why don’t I have this?” focus on “Look how much fun my kid is having!” Hockey development is not a linear motion, there are ups and downs and everyone works at different speeds. Most of all, enjoy the time your child has playing hockey because the moments won’t last forever.


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