Parentshift Notes #14

A few weeks ago I was at Queens, watching the semifinals in person. And Fran Cerúndolo gave me three things I haven't stopped thinking about. He arrived with no momentum, no narrative, no pressure. Nobody was writing about him as a contender on grass. And maybe that was exactly the point — when you carry no expectations, you carry no weight. How often do we load our kids with our hopes and timelines before they even step on the court? Between points, Fran and his coach Nico Massú had intense exchanges in real time. Not tactics — weight sharing. Turning a solitary battle into something carried by two. Our kids face moments that feel impossibly heavy. We can't play the point for them, but we can make sure they're not playing it alone. And then there's Alejandro, Fran's father. A fear of flying that kept him home for 27 years. Then quietly, on his own, he started therapy. The night of the semifinal he boarded a plane from Buenos Aires to London. He didn't say a word about fear. He just showed up. Our kids don't need us to be fearless. They need to see us doing the work. Three things to carry into this week: Remove the weight. Let them play free. Share the load. Make sure they know they're not alone. Do your own work. Show up even when it costs you something. That's ParentShift. If today's conversation resonated, subscribe at hernanchousa.com for one idea every Friday for sports parents.