Parents and Kids
The world of sports is littered with examples of parents who got in the way of their children's successful professional careers.
Women's tennis is rife with them. Men's golf has its share ( Sean O'Hair is one example).
And perhaps the greatest example of parental interference may be within the Wie family, although that story is still being written and may yet have a happy ending.
But there are also many, many examples where a father or mother has propelled a son or daughter along the path to golfing glory and done it with minimal scar tissue, emotionally speaking.
We rarely hear, for example, of Jack Nicklaus's father, Charles, and the impact he had on a young Jack learning the game; we more often hear of Jack's famous teacher, Jack Grout.
Guy Kinnings is a senior executive with International Management Group in Europe and he's a big supporter of parents who get involved early on with their kids.
Of course, the absolute best example of that is Earl Woods and son, Tiger.
There's an interesting story in the British media concerning the subject of parents and kids in golf.
In light of the Wie debacle and the many other young careers shipwrecked by well-meaning but interfering parents, this article – and Guy Kinning's take – offers a refreshing alternative viewpoint.
It certainly seems as though Tiger’s father did a lot of things right. Unfortunately, the only thing most people remember is that he got his son started at age 3; and that story has done a great disservice to children. The reason? Tiger was an exception! But parents now believe that if they don’t get their little ones started almost as soon as they’re out of diapers, they’ll fail to achieve the same — or any — level of success! Hand-eye coordination isn’t even fully developed until age 9 or 10. Making a judgment about a child’s athletic abilities before adolescence keeps many, many children from finding their talent.