I was worried that all the ways we have tainted youth sports made me lose my taste, my joy for competition; my first true love, my first lesson in mindfulness, my first meditation.

Although theoretically we parents are supposed to leave everything to the coaches, that's a little like saying that we are supposed to leave it to the teachers to get our kids to school and make sure they do their homework.

Lesson learned. Typical jugglers, which include working moms, could all probably benefit from enjoying moments of life that really don't require us to be in control.

Parents have to help their children to discover the joy of healthy competition, but competition taken too far can lead to an attitude that everything is a competition and worth is based on winning and losing.