Rule #1: Don't be a helicopter mom or we dad.

This rule applies regardless of how old a child is, and whether dealing with a child, athletic director, high school coach, college coach, or Pee Wee football coach. A helicopter parent hovers over the child, not allowing him to grow or act for himself. A we parent lives vicariously through the child's accomplishments.

Remember, in the parent/student-athlete relationship, the student-athlete must become the team captain!

The greater load the student-athlete takes and is able to handle, the better. This particularly applies to communicating with the coach.

When a parent might be well spoken and articulate, a student athlete might mutter, stumble over sentences, and shake at the thought of approaching a coach. The parent's first inclination might be to jump in and rescue a child from her fledgling attempts at communication. But consider the college coach's perspective. Who would the coach rather hear from: the parent, or the student-athlete who will play for the program for the next four or five years?

Coaches are impressed by students who initiate conversations. As difficult as it might be for students to muster the courage to call coaches, student-athletes' abilities to represent themselves is critical to the recruiting process.

And the earlier parents can loosen the reins, the better. By allowing children to communicate directly with elementary, junior high, and high school coaches, parents will allow their children to grow confident, which means the athletes will make great first impressions when they pick up the phone to call their first college coach.

"A parent actually detracts from a high school student's ability to learn a valuable skill set if she marches into the coach's office every time there is a conflict or every time she thinks her son is not getting enough playing time," said Joyce Wellhoefer, who has coached for high school and college basketball, softball, and volleyball programs.

A high school athlete will have only one chance to make a first impression on a college coach. Confidence will be critical to this interaction, so early opportunities to communicate with adults is critical to an athlete's success down the road.

From a recruitment perspective, Carmen Bucci, a former San Diego Padre, agreed. If a college coach receives phone call after phone call from a parent, the coach might start to think that the parent is a nuisance, which could cost the child his athletic scholarship.

Does this mean the best approach for parents is to send their child into an unfamiliar, sometimes-scary world completely alone? Of course not! Don Beebe, a former member of six Super Bowl teams, now runs a program called House of Speed in which he teaches athletes to build character through sports. The most important role he sees for parents is to create an environment that fosters positive growth.

Beebe had the following advice for parents: "The biggest thing is to stop putting pressure on kids. If playing sports is his passion, back him and support him. If a child puts his heart and soul into a game and still loses, a parent should pat him on the back with as much enthusiasm as if he had beat a world record."

Article provided by NCSA