Before the game:
Tell your child you love him/her regardless of the outcome. Tell him or her "Go for it, give it your best shot and have fun!"

During the game:
Parents are expected to sit on the opposite side from the team and coach.  Understand that kids are over-stimulated during games. The coach may be giving instructions, opponents and teammates are talking, the crowd is cheering, and the referee is blowing the whistle. To a youth sports participant, the atmosphere is very hectic. Do not yell instructions to your child during the game because it only adds to the confusion. Sometimes the best thing you can do as a parent is to be quiet. Always cheer and acknowledge good plays by both teams.

After the game:
Thank the officials for doing a difficult job and thank the coaches for their efforts. Understand that after a difficult loss is not a good time to question a coach. Thank your opponents for a good game. Congratulate your child and his or her teammates for their efforts. Compliment individual players on good plays they made in the game. During the car ride home, point out a good play your child made during the game and avoid criticizing or correcting mistakes. Ask open-ended questions about how the game was played rather than how many points were scored; remember WSA does not keep score.   Here are examples of open-ended questions that might apply: