For many parents, it can be a very exciting and proud experience to first go to your child’s football game.
If you are about to do this and you want to make sure that you make the most of it, you are probably going to be particularly keen to ensure that you are helping them to enjoy it as much as possible. As it happens, that is perfectly easy to do, and you will probably find that they can have a great time as long as you are following a few simple rules. Let’s take a look at what to think about when you go to your kid’s first football game.
Come Prepared
Firstly, it is going to be wise to make sure that you come prepared to the match, as that way you are going to feel a lot more ready, but most importantly so will your child. That means that you have enough to eat and drink, and something for your child to nibble on in between playing should they need to. You might also want to think about any potential first aid help that might be necessary, such as having medical ice packs on you as well. The more prepared you are, the better, and the more that you will find yourself enjoying the experience.
Cheer
It is always great if your child can actually hear you cheer for them, so you should make sure that you are doing this, especially when they are close to you and you know that they can probably hear you. Don’t underestimate how important it can be for them to hear you cheer in this way – very often it is going to make a world of difference to how they experience and enjoy the game, and you might find that it encourages them so much that it makes a practical difference to how they play and what the final result is too. So it’s definitely a good idea to make sure that they can hear you cheer while playing.
Don’t Embarrass Them
That being said, you also need to make sure that you are not doing anything to embarrass them, which might include cheering too loudly or exuberantly. You don’t want them to feel that you are actually making them stick out, as this is unlikely to help their game or their confidence.
Likewise, don’t make a big deal about them to other parents – ultimately you’ll find no-one is that impressed anyway, and it can often make things difficult especially with the parents of other children playing in the game. So you need to make sure that you are aware of this as well, and do all you can to avoid causing your child any embarrassment at all.
Those are just some of the things to think about when you go to your child’s first football game. As long as you bear that in mind and you are prepared, you will find that you enjoy it a lot, and that they do as well.