To examine the relation between parental childrearing attitudes and children's
experiences in sport, 49 families of 6-to 8-year-old male soccer players were
studied. Mothers and fathers completed questionnaires about their childrearing
practices; children, coaches, fathers, and mothers provided information on the
child's enjoyment, effort, ability, competitiveness, and/or co-operativeness.
Mothers and fathers showed very different patterns of involvement in their child's
soccer experience: Whereas maternal support and expectations were
positively associated with the level of child enjoyment, paternal
expectations and directiveness were highest when child ability or effort was
low. Moreover, regardless of the actual nature of reported parental
behaviour, mothers and fathers showing the highest levels of involvement had
children showing the lowest level of co-operation with the coach. The findings
suggest that fathers and mothers differ in the responsibility that they feel for
helping the child who is experiencing difficulty in sport, and that, in some cases,
fathers' attempts to help may actually undermine the child's effort and enjoyment.
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