There are a lot of good parents in this world. You are probably one of them!

But what if you understood that even in being a good parent, you were settling for less? If you knew of a way to go from good to great, would you do it?

I’ve talked with enough parents to know that all of them struggle in their parenting, if not every day, at least frequently. Good parents are aware of their struggles, but what makes them great is that they move beyond awareness of their challenges to actually seeking ways to conquer the challenges and become better parents.

A good parent loves their children and wants to do a good job of parenting.

A great parent loves their children, wants to do a good job of parenting, and looks for ways to actually work on becoming better at their job.

A good parent sees the problems and wishes things were different.

A great parent sees the problem, wishes things were different, and then looks for ways to make that change happen.

A good parent feels deep down inside that they are not handling a situation in the best way.

A great parent feels deep down inside that they are not handling a situation in the best way and looks for help outside of themselves to resolve the situation.

I finally really understood this for myself recently; it only took me 33 years of parenting to figure it out! It happened over the past few months as I faced a situation with one of my grown kids and I realized that maybe it was time to seek a counselor’s help. It’s not easy taking that first step; seeking help from an “outsider” feels humbling. But I know this: if I want to resolve the issue with my child, I need to resolve the issue within myself first.

As the parent of an athlete, you have a unique challenge as you help your child grow and become all that they can be. Are you looking for ways to improve on how you handle hard situations with the team or coach? Are you seeking to understand yourself and why you react the way you do? Or are you settling for the status quo as a parent? If you are, then you and your child are both missing out on greater things. 
What is holding you back from becoming a “great” parent? What is keeping you stuck in the “good” parent zone? 

Janis Meredith is a family life coach who wants to help parents raise champions. You can find out more at rcfamilies.com.