Playing time is a pressure cooker because it pokes at every parent trigger: fairness, status, control, fear, and helplessness. And if we’re honest, it can feel personal—even when it isn’t. In today's conversation, we deliver a fantastic "reframe" to help you model a healthy response to non-preferred outcomes so your teen learns the real life skill: dealing with disappointment without losing identity, effort, or connection. You’ll learn how to spot your “yeah, buts,” reset your expectations, and have the kind of calm, clear conversation that builds trust—especially when your teen is already on edge.

Let's gooooooooooooo Most Valuable Parents!!

The Timestamps

00:00 Navigating Playing Time and Parental Pride

03:23 Understanding Control and Helplessness in Sports

06:29 Expectations and Communication with Teens

08:43 Life Lessons from Sports and Non-Preferred Outcomes

11:42 The Duct Tape Analogy: Managing Emotions

14:40 The 24-Hour Rule: Emotional Recovery

16:18 Reframing the Parent-Teen Dynamic

Takeaways

-Playing time can induce trauma for both parents and teens.

-Understanding what is within our control is crucial in handling "playing time."

-Parents should model healthy emotional responses to outcomes.

-The 24-hour rule helps in managing emotional reactions.

-Identifying 'yeah, buts' can clarify our emotional responses.

-Being an anchor for our teens is more important than rescuing them.

-Life skills are learned in sports by responding well to non-preferred outcomes.

Hey there Most Valuable Parents! We are creating a world-class podcast for parents of teen athletes and performers on YouTube. We can also be found on the other usual places you get your podcasts like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

New episodes drop every MONDAY.

We would be most grateful if you would SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel where our unique show for parents of teen athletes and performers resides. The name of our podcast is the same name as our YouTube channel: The STOP PARENTING & START COACHING Podcast!

We're also posting valuable content on LinkedIn. Please follow us and connect with us: LinkedIn Steve Galley

Let’s gooooooooo moms and dads–you got this!

-Nate & Steve