5 Lessons about Youth Sports from an Athletic Prodigy
Mikaela Shiffrin is, at only 18 years old, the top slalom ski racer in the world, the Olympic gold medalist in slalom in Sochi, and a veritable fount of lessons that athletes, coaches, and parents can learn from to help athletes achieve their competitive goals. After reading a profile of Mikaela in The New York Times recently (be sure to watch the videos in the article), I felt five more lessons crying out to be told. With all due respect to Dan Coyle (author of The Talent Code) and other recent authors, “10 years 10,000 hours” isn’t enough to achieve athletic greatness (BTW, here’s a great rebuttal to that argument). It is abundantly clear that much of what makes Mikaela exceptional can’t be taught. Early videos of her demonstrate a feel for the snow and a sense of balance that just isn’t trainable. I’m going to argue that Mikaela is just wired differently than us mere mortals. Of course, that inborn hard wiring wouldn’t have been enough to take her to the top of her sport without the drive that enabled her to put in the long hours of training to master the physical, technical, tactical, and mental aspects of ski racing.
Read MoreEducational Media? Yeah, Right.
As many of you know from my most recent parenting book, Raising Generation Tech: Prepare Your Children for a Media-fueled World, I’m not a big fan of screen time by children. In recent years, I’ve gotten push back from parents who say that their children learn a lot from so-called educational” media, whether TV shows, […]
Read MoreTaylor Radio Interview about Seattle’s QB and Confidence
I was interviewed by KIRO radio in Seattle the other day about the Seahawk’s quarterback, Russell Wilson, and how he was able to maintain his confidence and composure after fumbling on the first play of the NFC Championship game against San Francisco. In the interview, we also explore whether professional athletes are different from regular […]
Read MoreThree Ways to Raise Secure Children
One of the most important qualities you want to instill in your children is a deep sense of security in themselves and the world. There are three messages you want your children to get to nurture their developing sense of security. Others: There are people in my world who will protect me when needed. Self: […]
Read MoreDisconnect from Your Tech
Here’s a great article about a school that took a three-day break from technology. Be sure to watch the video that goes along with it. Could you not use technology for even a day? That’s my challenge to you!
Read MoreWe Did These “Dangerous” Things and We Survived
Following up on my recent post titled, 5 Dangerous Things Parents Should Do to Their Children, someone sent me this video, I Can’t Believe We Made it, which demonstrates all of the so-called dangerous stuff past generations of children did (it used to be called “stuff all kids did”) and still somehow survived. The video vividly shows […]
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