Reply to Explain to me your thought process (parents) with being highly competitive with your swimmer

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]These parents are insecure and living through their children.  They derive what they perceive as status and an identity from their child being successful.  The gaggle of parents they sit with.  The assured spot at the A meets at their D1 pool over the summer.  Bragging rights and prestige.  It becomes who they are.  The kids their kid hangs around with because they swim "at that level". 
 They are the parent of a successful swimmer and they rearrange their lives to make this happen.  Fill in the blanks with any other sport it's all the same.

So who are they without it?

Add in a large dose of emotional immaturity and lack of self-awareness and a person is screaming at their kid after the meet.[/quote]

This is unfair and only makes you sound bitter and immature. You are creating some weird imagined story about parents you don’t know, based on your own insecurity. I certainly hope this isn’t what parents think of me. One of my kids is “elite” and has always shown unusual talent in swimming, the kind coaches remark upon regularly. I certainly don’t derive status or identity from it, but it takes a lot of my time (long hours at meets, travel, etc) and I have been so grateful to find friendship and camaraderie in the parents of my swimmer’s friends. They have become some of my closest friends, and we don’t sit together sharing swim times or feeling superior, we are genuine friends - we talk about our lives, our other kids, our struggles, etc - like any friendship. There is also a difficult side to parenting a talented athlete, as they often put immense pressure on themselves, and yeah - sometimes it’s nice to talk to other parents who understand that as well. What would you have me do as a parent? Not support my kid and what he loves? It is only a very small part of our lives in the grand scheme of things - but I will certainly support him and if that upsets you, I don’t know what to tell you. [/quote]

Are you screaming at your kid and personally highly competitive regarding the results of your child?  Doesn't sound like it.  If not, this thread isn't about you.  So you're taking offense at something imagined.   This thread isn't about whether you should continue to support your talented swimmer.  Of course you should.  If your talented swimmer someday burns out and doesn't want to do it anymore or swimming passes him/her by, you should like a well adjusted person and will surely handle it well.  [/quote]

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