By Mallory Mattingly
Former Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East and her husband Andrew, an ex NFL player, know parents can make or break their kid’s experience in youth sports, so they shared their top tips.
“I feel like what I have seen work out the absolute best — I don’t have statistics and data to back this up, but I coached for eight years,” Shawn said on her and Andrew’s podcast “Couple Things.” “I have seen many Olympic teams be formed. I have met so many parents within the sporting world. I’ve gone to many, many Olympics to work and met swimmers, Olympic swimmers’ parents, and Olympic cycling parents. I’ve met so many parents within the highest elite level success of sports.”
“And the way I can summarize it best is this: if you are a parent to a child, the absolute best thing you can do for your child from day one is be a cheerleader,” she continued. “That’s it. All of these parents that I’ve met at the Olympics, all of these parents that I have seen firsthand supporting their children, if they play the role of parent — ‘I love you, I support you, I will cheer for you, and I will help you in whatever passion you find’ — that is what works.”
Related: Shawn Johnson East Reveals If She’d Support Her Kids’ Olympic Dreams
Shawn, who is a parent and was once a coach, understands the importance of each role — and why they shouldn’t overlap.
As a parent, “I will not coach you. I will not push you. I will not bully you. I will not degrade you when you have a hard day. If you choose to quit, I won’t say, ‘I didn’t raise a quitter.’ If you are a parent who loves your child with or without that sport, and that child truly believes that and knows that the sport is for them and not for you, that is your best chance of success,” the Olympic gold medalist said.
The Easts certainly encourage their kids’ athletic interests but don’t want to force them into anything. The couple share daughter Drew Hazel, 5, and sons Jett James, 4, and Barrett Madison, 1.
“I just care about, like, their little interests and stuff. They’re very physical. Like very, very physical,” Shawn said of her kids last year, explaining that though they’re enrolled in recreational gymnastics, she doesn’t “really care” if it comes naturally to them.
“You can have the most talented athlete in the entire world, and they just might not like the sport, and that’s fine,” she said. “And you might have a kid who’s not talented in a sport but loves it. And then if you throw into parents who are pressuring their kids into the equation, it never works out. I’ve just I’ve never seen it work out.”
Whether or not their kids are actively in sports, the parents certainly passed down their athletic genes. Andrew recently posted a video of Drew and Jett racing each other.
“Two athletes like mother like daughter like mother like son,” he wrote in the caption.
Whether your child wants to go pro or is happy with their sport being a fun extracurricular, the best thing you can do for their athletic interests is cheer them on.
Read Next: Shawn Johnson East and Andrew East Reveal Parenting, Marriage Insights
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