Scripts
What to say in the moments that matter.
Short pages for the car ride home. What they're feeling. What to say. What not to say. The one rule. Built to be read in 30 seconds and saved for the next time.
Pick the moment you're in. Or download What to Say When, our free field guide, to keep all of these in your glove box.
After the game
Your kid had a bad game. Here's what to say.
What to say in the first 90 seconds when the game went badly. The script that protects the relationship and the rest of the week.
30-second read →
Your kid lost the game. Here's what to say.
What to say after a loss. Different from a bad game. The script for the moment when the team played hard and still came up short.
30-second read →
Your kid won. Here's what to say.
Wins matter too. The script that lets them enjoy it without you immediately moving the goalpost.
30-second read →
When they don't make captain
The kid who thought they would. Sometimes they say something. Often they don't. The script for the silent disappointment.
30-second read →
Your kid made a big mistake. Here's what to say.
The dropped ball, the missed shot, the play that cost the game. The script that lets the mistake be a mistake without becoming an identity.
30-second read →
Your kid had a meltdown at practice
Tears, walking off, throwing equipment. The script for picking them up afterward without making it bigger or smaller than it is.
30-second read →
Your kid is silent in the car. Here's what to do.
Headphones on. Window seat. Nothing to say. The drive home when silence is the answer, not a problem to fix.
30-second read →
After the last game of the season. Here's what to say.
The season is over. Win or lose, the kid is processing more than the score. The script for the drive that closes a chapter.
30-second read →
Before the game
Your kid is nervous before a game. Here's what to say.
The morning of. Stomach in knots. Saying they don't want to go. The script that calms without dismissing.
30-second read →
Before the championship game
The big game looms. They can't sleep. Your job is not a pep talk. It's lower the temperature.
30-second read →
Before summer tryouts. Here's what to say.
The tryout that doesn't have a season behind it. Higher stakes, less context. The script for the morning of.
30-second read →
The rule under all of this
The car ride is not for coaching. It's for connection.
These scripts are tools, not formulas. The point isn't to say the perfect line. The point is to make the car a place your kid wants to be after a hard day.