My good friend and I were exchanging thoughts about star athletes before the Super Bowl, and I found myself thinking, “unreasonable expectations can sometimes be worse than drug addiction.” I was thinking about all the young children and adults I knew who had “burnt out” at some point in their sports career.– high school stars who never made it in college, college stars who never made it in the pros, and yes, little league heroes who never played the sport again. Many times the “unreasonable expectations” were their parents’ or their communitiy’s. Some of the young men I knew never got over their disappointment.
“Unreasonable expectations” are not limited to sports. Many a child grows up with dreams and expectations of being or doing something great only to have reality set in. Sports heroes are only a very visible example. It is also important for people to dream. Dreams drive progress, advancement, and a better life for us all. The line between dreaming and unreasonable expectations is razor thin.
What’s my point? What’s important is that unreasonable expectations not come from parents or supporters, and that when that day of reality occurs, we are there for that individual to offer support, love, and new dreams and expectations.
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