Playing Time – Earn It!
Whoa! This is truly a sensitive subject! I’m sure to lose some friends over this post. 
Certain parents love their children so much that they think they should get the most playing time on the team, whether they deserve it or not. If this is you, I apologize for being so blunt with my statement.
OK, you’re right, on a recreational team playing time shouldn’t be withheld from any player. This post only addresses competitive teams in competitive situations. If your child is on a “rec” team and they’re not getting playing time then talk to the coach.
My boys have been in both situations (lots of playing time and not so much) and I agree that it hurts to watch your child sulk on the sideline. It’s no fun watching unless the player just wants to be on a team to hang out with the other players and say that they were a part of something. I’ve watched my oldest son ride pine (sit on the bench), in baseball, on the 4th ranked team in the country. When my youngest was just starting in football, he stunk up the joint and earned plenty of time watching from the sideline. He was the most polite player on the team . . . on defense!
I don’t fault those coaches. When you’re playing to win, and you know that losing sucks, a coach will put his best foot forward every time. In both of those situations, the downtime just served as a catalyst to incent my boys to work that much harder going forward.
As a caution to parents and kids when they get to high school (actually on any competitive team); don’t ask for playing time; earn it! Chances are that if you ask for more playing time, you’ll spend more time on the sideline than you would have. Would it be fair to take playing time away from the kid who earns it? The answer to that question should be obvious!
As Mike Green, founder of The Sports Family Club, said very eloquently on Twitter “hard work and a desire that can’t be measured or created are the true differentiators of a pro athlete”. This applies to athletes at any level. The harder you work and the more desire that you have, the better you’ll be. If you improve from working hard, you’ll get serious playing time. That’s what it’s all about! You’ll be proud of the playing time that you receive. Oh, by the way, when you get playing time, make plays so that you continue to be in the mix in the future.
Best wishes to all players as they strive to achieve! 
