What should parents tell the kids who model themselves on sports heroes who behave badly?
Dr. Engle: Parents should help children understand that reaching star level takes a combination of extraordinary physical ability, strong ambition, good opportunities, luck and back-breaking hard work. Very few achieve this degree of prominence, and the process doesn’t guarantee that the athlete has developed an admirable character, moral values or strategies to deal with stress. So when talking about the particular athlete, make sure to separate sports ability from character. Q: What steps can parents take to help kids take a balanced view? Dr. Engle: Parents can point out that an outstanding athlete can be admired for his performance, but the admiration doesn’t have to automatically include his personal decisions. They can emphasize the fact that many star athletes, in addition to being talented, are caring people who contribute their time and money to helping kids. Q: But the news reports talk more about the ones who get into trouble. What can we do about that? Dr. Engle: Help child
