It’s back-to-school season – a time when thousands of local kids are returning to school, sports fields, stages and recital halls to display their talents to their families and to the world. Parents come to watch, coach and cheer, and their words and actions matter deeply. After many years of coaching and cheering my kids from pre-school through high school, I finally found the best advice for what to say to players or performers to encourage them and bring them joy on the field or the stage. I’ve used the advice in this post from the wise researchers at the Fuller Youth Institute in recent years, and I think it offers the perfect, simple, non-judgmental, loving approach that reflects our unconditional commitment as parents.

At the end of the day, I agree with the author: “I want my kids to hear that doing what they do, and learning about who God created them to be, is a joy to watch as it unfolds.”

What do you think? We'd love for you to share any thoughts or advice you have about encouraging young people in the Comments section below.

Photo: "the natural" by Greg Westfall, used under CC BY 2.0 / Text added and image cropped