What to Say When.

Twenty-three scripts, organized into three parts. Each one follows the same pattern: what your kid is probably feeling, three things you can say, three you shouldn't, the rule underneath, and what to do if they bring it up.

Before the game. Seven scripts: by age (5–7, 8–10, 11–12, 13–14), plus the nervous kid, the championship game, and the summer tryout.

After the game. Nine scripts: by age, plus the win, the loss, the bad game, the mistake, and the bench.

The hard moments. Seven scripts: silence in the car, tears in the parking lot, the teammate's injury everyone watched, the post-cut text, the captain pick that stung, the meltdown at practice, the end of the season.

Plus a tri-fold pocket card to cut and fold into the glove box.

The most important sentences a parent says about their kid's sport happen in two narrow windows. The minute before the game. The first ninety seconds after. Most parents wing it. Most parents wish they hadn't.

The fix is small. A different sentence. A different tone. A pattern that works the same at 8 and at 14. We wrote it down.