This article appears in the March 2020 edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Head to USLacrosse.org to subscribe.

There’s nothing more powerful than the loss of an old friend and teammate to put life into perspective. Sadly, the short period of clarity that follows such a loss can be fleeting, and a return to the relative comfort of familiar habits and distractions can be difficult to overcome. Proactively disrupting the status quo of our personal lives is often just too uncomfortable.

I think the same is true when it comes to evaluating the quality of experience our children have on the lacrosse field. Going with the flow is so much easier than exercising the moral courage required to speak up, even though we may have nagging concerns about program culture or coach behavior. 

Young players should always feel welcomed, supported and engaged, regardless of skill level. They should also enjoy the experience and build confidence as their basic skills develop.

Best-practice youth programs will respond with humility and grace to thoughtful parents who ask questions and share concerns. They won’t judge. They’ll listen because they are committed to the fundamental goal of seeing your child return to the lacrosse field year after year.

As the primary consumer of their child’s lacrosse experience, parents should always feel empowered to thoughtfully and respectfully exercise their influence — not go with the flow — to assure that the best interests of young players are well-served. 

US Lacrosse offers ample resources for parents. In addition to blog posts (uslacrosse.org/category/parents) and a monthly email newsletter, you’ll discover a trove of information related to the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model (uslacrosse.org/ladm). You can use these materials to ignite a purposeful dialogue about important subjects such as player safety, coaching education, officials training and age-appropriate rules.

Youth programs, in turn, should always welcome that conversation.