Parents/Coaches: Don't Forget To Encourage Your Youngster's Dreams

By Paul Lubanski


On the bedroom wall of my boyhood home was an inspirational poster by the poet Langston Hughes.

The poster was filled with a flock of doves soaring among some light clouds set amongst an incredibly beautiful evening sunset. The poem simply read: "Hold fast to dreams --for if dreams die--life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly."

Virtually each and every day of my childhood, I both went to sleep and awoke to that poster. However, not having lived in that home for many years now, I can honestly say that I hadn't thought about it for quite a few years...until recently.

Here is what happened:

Just las week, I was standing in the lobby of a local ice arena waiting for my son to emerge from the dressing room after a work-out, when I overheard a conversation between two young boy's around 7 or eight years-old. It went like this:

"When I grow up my dad say's he wants me to play for the Red Wings," said Boy 1. 

"Not me," countered Boy 2. "I'll be playing for the Mighty Ducks because I like their jerseys better."

Eavesdropping on that delightfully innocent verbal exchange brought back a ton of fond memories of my childhood, including the aforementioned Langston Hughes poster.

You see, not unlike many of my friends of that era, I too had dreams of someday becoming a professional hockey or baseball player.. Of course, I never quite realized how remote the chances were of that ever happening. All I knew was that the poster on the wall told me to hold onto my dreams, so I HELD ON TIGHTLY!.

All that said, my message here today is this: As parents and coaches, it is incumbent upon us to consistently encourage and inspire our children to harbor those same kinds of dreams.

More importantly, we need to support those dreams by whatever means are at our disposal. Keep in mind that some wise person once pontificated: "The very first step towards accomplishing a stated goal is the dream that gave birth to the goal itself."

I could not agree more strongly.

So let the kids dreams dream...but promise that you will do me one small favor along the way: *NEVER* inform them of their actual odds of succeeding.

Let them figure that part out on their own.

You'll just have to trust me on that one--it's better that way.

Best of luck.

We'll see you at the rink!




Paul Lubanski









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