“Many parents heap way too much praise on their kids. Watching soccer where my youngest plays is a joke when to comes ot some parents. There are kids who actually think they are brilliant at the sport and yet when I tell tem that mine went to nationals twice and with a pro team from England they make excuses.
Sad part is that my kid got placed in an older age group to challenge him and he is the smallest there and yet these kids he plays with who are two years older think they are just as good.
\I dont care because I always tell my kids that you have to challenge yourself and let others think what they want.As my kids especially my youngest aged 12 , well I tell him not to be cocky, as there is room for improvement and if they do wrong I tell them that, if they do good I tell them that . If he falls down I tell him to get him unless he is really hurt.”
I tried to teach mine to understand and master their skills. Don’t worry about the competition and don’t worry about who gets a trophy.
As far as your youngest being a bit cocky sometimes. That really is a part of any group dynamic and a little bit of that can be a big help especially in sports where a pecking order comes into play.
good advice and I certainly take heed.