I've watched my son Chase play youth sports ever since he was old enough to participate. He's played soccer, football and baseball. Now my two daughters are both in softball this summer too. I've sat on the sidelines and at times been vocal on what they should do and how they should be doing it. Hey, I'm just being a supportive parent, right? This summer Chase is in another baseball league, the most competitive one he's been in yet. I've heard parents yelling and screaming at their kids. Watch for this. Don't forget to do that. Internally, I began to question what we as parents should be doing at our kid's games. That is when I found 'The Matheny Manifesto'.

Mike Matheny is the manager for the St. Louis Cardinals. He played 13 years in the major leagues, and after his retirement, he was asked to coach a youth baseball team. He agreed, but only under his terms. The five page letter he gave to parents is called 'The Matheny Manifesto' and has also been turned into a book. The parents had to agree to it's conditions or their sons could not play on his team. What is at the heart of the manifesto? Parental behavior. Matheny talks about how parents put too much pressure on their kids. He says that the kids, their peers and their coaches already put pressure on them. What they need from their parents is support. Matheny goes on to say that parents should not yell at their kids when they're at bat, on the mound, shooting a free throw or about to take a penalty kick. Be silent. Be supportive, but be silent. You might ask yourself what's the harm in yelling "Let's go Chase!" when my son is up to bat. Matheny says that kind of pressure can be harmful. What your child needs to hear at the end of a game is that you enjoyed watching them play and you hope that they had fun. That's it.

You may not agree with what Mike Matheny thinks. You may think it's your right to yell and cheer for your child. I used to be right there with you. But after reading about the manifesto and pressure on our kids, I've tried to adopt it's policies. I've tried harder to leave the coaching to the coaches. I don't complain about bad calls. Believe it or not, they'll even out. And during games I don't shout out advise to my kids on what they should or shouldn't be doing. I clap when they're up. I watch...silently. After the game I always make sure and identify things that they did well and praise them for it. I tell them I love watching them play, and that I hope they had fun. It takes some getting used to. Sometimes I really want to correct something I see being done wrong. Give my 2 cents. But I know that it won't help my kids.

If you're a youth coach, or have kids in youth sports, I urge you to do some more research in 'The Matheny Manifesto'. It might just change the way you handle yourself at sporting events, and improve the relationship you have with your kids.

More From 98.1 KHAK