Like anything else in life, being a sports parent has its ups and downs.For me, there have been more ups than downs.I always loved seeing my kids compete in sports. My only expectation was for them to give it their all on the field or mat.But as I learned, watching your kids lose can be one of the hardest things for a competitive parent to sit on the sidelines and watch. I also realized, however, that failure is a great part of athletics because it helps athletes understand they must find ways to handle the adversity that comes with life.I learned something else early on: The more I let my kids experience sports the way they wanted to experience them, the better their experience was. Sadly, this is a lesson many parents haven’t learned. Many parents want their children to be the best and push them harder than they want to be pushed. Their prodding, unfortunately, causes their kids to turn away from sports.I learned the lesson of giving kids the f...