Once children start showing certain interests, many parents wonder if they could have a future in them. This is especially true for athletics. A former professional athlete, Nate Daniels – who goes by @natedaniels_1 on TikTok – said that many parents ask him if their child is an “elite athlete.” Since parents ask him several times a week about their child’s potential, he decides to clear it up once and for all in a video. This way, parents can get an idea of ​​whether their child should put all their energy into sports.

“Is my kid an elite athlete? If you have to ask me that question, he’s probably not an elite athlete, but hang in there,” Daniels began. “When you have an elite athlete, it’s obvious. You stand out like a sore thumb. A layperson could walk into the gym and ask, ‘Man, who is this kid?’ You could walk onto the soccer field, the baseball field or the lacrosse field and everyone knows this kid is different,” he added. “That validation is going to come from other parents talking to you about your kid. It’s going to come from coaches talking to you about your kid. And as my idol growing up always said, Walter Payton, ‘When you’re good, you go around telling everybody how good you are. But when you’re great, they tell you,'” the coach continued.

The video was specifically aimed at 4- to 13-year-olds. “As a sports coach and former athlete, I’m not as excited about child prodigies as you are. People post online about their seven-year-old walking between their legs or juggling a football or whatever athletic feat. And in the comments they say, ‘Next stop MLB, next stop NBA, next stop NFL.’ And when I see that, I just think, ‘Slow down!'” the man explained. “You don’t know what you have until a child hits puberty. I’ve coached and trained young athletes who were completely dominant at the youth level. After they hit puberty, that was gone. The beautiful thing is that I also coached the other way around,” the former professional athlete emphasized.

“So the moral of the story is, if you have a young athlete who is having success, just let them enjoy that success. Let them keep working hard,” the coach advised. “Parents, be patient and see how it develops. I’m not saying this to shatter your illusions or to dampen you down. I’m proud. I want you to be proud of your children, but those expectations that you project are just not realistic most of the time.” He also encouraged the children to keep working even when things aren’t going the way they want and not to give up hope. “Sports development is a marathon, not a sprint. Nobody cares who the best U8 player is. The U9 player is. Call me when you’re 17, 18, 19 years old. Then we’ll talk,” Daniels concluded.

People commented on his advice. @themensstyleguy wrote, “This is the best video ever produced for parents. As a parent, I am grateful to you for saying this. When you know, you know! I appreciate it!” @lydiawallace commented, “This is so true. My son was a beast as a young adult. Everyone knew his name. Then puberty hit and he disappeared. I’m still not sure what happened.” @darrencooper71 noted, “Agree. It’s the same as a child who can read at 4, they’re not necessarily going to be the next Elon Musk. Sometimes they just reach their maximum potential early.”

You can follow Nate Daniels (@natedaniels_1) on TikTok for more sports-related content.