Confessions of a Helicopter Mom: Learn From Mistakes

It’s their sport not mine. The more I got involved and questioned my kids about details of their swimming, the less they wanted to talk about it with me.

Parenting has taught me I am far from perfect. There are so many new emotional situations thrown at us with no instruction manual. Hopefully, we learn from our mistakes and won’t keep repeating the same ones over and over. I also believe it’s never too late to learn and strive to be a better parent.

When my kids were young, I felt that I had to talk to my son and daughter right before they swam. I honestly thought whatever I was going to say would make the difference in their race. Eventually I learned that the coach was the person who was supposed to talk to them and mom didn’t need to add her two cents. What a relief when I figured this out and relaxed and enjoyed watching them swim.