Let’s face it. Being the parent isn’t always (ever?) easy. Those parental duties only tend to get more complicated when it comes to your kids playing sports.

If you ever wondered, “Am I doing the right thing?” you’re almost certainly not alone. To offer some guidance, we talked to John O'Sullivan, founder of ChangingTheGameProject.com, for some tips for parents. These are geared specifically to parents of 12U hockey players, but they are also good general guidelines for many ages.

Here are four “traps” parents might find themselves falling into or temptations they might have, with suggestions for better solutions:

Read the solutions at www.amkids.com