10 SOCCERWORLD CUP LESSONS FOR PARENTS
By Claire Marketos
In a couple of weeks South Africa will once again be making history as it hosts the first soccer world cup in Africa. There is a festive vibe in the air and most of us are becoming fans overnight. For many parents though the thought of allowing their children to watch hours of soccer on T.V. creates feelings of guilt and goes against all good parenting advice.
However, this can be a golden opportunity to bond with your children while teaching them some valuable life lessons:
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Always be proud of yourself and stand tall regardless of your past. You have the power to change your future.
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Having a winner’s attitude is coming second and not feeling like a loser. There can only be one soccer world champion team, but there are a lot of individual champions in every team.
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Perseverance and hard work makes teams successful. Winning the last world cup does not mean that the same team will win this world cup. Nor does it mean they should give up trying to win the cup again.
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Being a player on a team is like being part of a family. All players have to work together exercising cooperation, patience, initiative and control to achieve a goal.
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Rules in soccer like the laws of a country have to be respected so that others are not harmed or exploited.
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We are all part of a global community. Being tolerant of others shows courage and wisdom. Knowledge is power. Learning about other nations helps us to know more about ourselves and challenges our preconceived ideas.
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Participating in sport and shouting for our favourite team are good ways to deal with stress and frustrations, as well as being healthy for us.
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Being on time and keeping commitments shows others that you are considerate and reliable. Time in a soccer game creates order, boundaries, and ensures the players don’t over exert themselves.
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Grown men do cry and expressing your emotions is acceptable.
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A good sport does not fake an injury or walk out on a game, but continues to the end of the game despite disappointment. They also acknowledge the other players who have won.
In the true spirit of South African warmth celebrate this time together as a family and AYOBA 2010.