Parental support is a fundamental factor in children’s participation and success in sporting events. The majority of parents behave positively, but behaviours which do not produce positive results are also observed. The purpose of this study was the self-evaluation of parental behaviours and the detection of behaviours that are critical regarding the psychology of a child-athlete. The instrument used was the Q-Parent Behavior Check List, which was completed by 204 parents (106 males and 98 females) of children-athletes who were members of the sports academies of “M.G.S. Ethnikos Alexandroupolis” The results were categorized in two groups according to: a) gender and b) age. Critical parental behaviours were narrowed down to: a) the avoidance of the sport’s dominance in the whole life of the child-athlete, b) the emphasis parents place on fundamental values, c) the limits in parental participation in the training program and d) the parents' provision of resources to their child-athlete. It was concluded that parental gender and age play a decisive role in the exhibition of specific behaviours towards children-athletes. With the appropriate information and education, parents can improve their behaviour towards children-athletes, producing multiple benefits.
