The moms of Jordan Spieth, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jason Robertson, Bobby Witt Jr., Tyrese Maxey and Jaedyn Shaw discuss what it’s like to raise a star athlete.
DALLAS — Tune into WFAA+ at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 7, to watch the entire “The Panel with Jonah Javad: A Mother’s Day Special” with WFAA’s Jonah Javad and the moms of pro athletes Jordan Spieth, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jason Robertson, Bobby Witt Jr., Tyrese Maxey and Jaedyn Shaw. The show will also be available to watch on-demand after its initial airing.
Raising a young athlete is no small feat. It’s a full-time job that involves the entire family, countless hours of travel, emotional highs and lows, and maintaining the delicate balance of parenting, partnership and personal sanity.
That’s not just conjecture, either. Rather, it’s wisdom that comes straight from the source — moms who’ve helped usher their children up the ranks from youth recreational leagues to pro sports.
In advance of Mother’s Day, we gathered six mothers of highly successful professional athletes – from the NFL to the PGA Tour – to sit down together at the Kessler Theatre in Dallas for a candid conversation about their experiences and their advice for young parents.
One theme rang clear throughout our discussion: There is no playbook, but there are lessons learned.
Here are the seven biggest takeaways from the conversation.
Don’t look for a roadmap, just embrace the journey
The path to sports success is never linear. That much, every mom we spoke with agreed upon.
Another thing these moms concurred on: The idea of having your child solely focus on one sport didn’t apply to their kids’ success. Rather than a singular focus, these moms’ kids tried everything.
“My son Jordan [Spieth] played every sport,” recalled Christine Spieth, mother of PGA Tour golfer and Dallas native Jordan Spieth. “Whatever the season was — soccer, basketball, baseball. Golf was just something he did in between. He didn’t start focusing on it until he was 11 or 12.”
The consensus? Let kids be kids. Expose them to different activities, and follow their lead when they begin to show signs that they’re “serious.”
“The work ethic, the competitive spirit, all the things were there that I could see being a mom,” noted Laurie Witt, mother of MLB All-Star and Colleyville native Bobby Witt Jr.
Added Denyse Maxey, mother of NBA All-Star and Garland native Tyrese Maxey: “The way we frame it, my husband and I both, is: ‘When did you know that Tyrese [Maxey] was serious? When did you know he was serious?’ And then we give a couple of examples of things that he did that showed his over-competitiveness and [we thought], ‘OK, now we think he’s serious and now he may have a shot.’”
Nurture all your kids, not just the star athlete
For families with multiple children, keeping a household emotionally balanced when is critical. This is especially true when one of the kids in the family is a sports prodigy. And it’s something that each of the moms we spoke with emphasized.
“Every child has their own thing,” Maxey said of her family. “When they find their niche, support it as fiercely as you supported the athlete.”
And if one sibling does rise to prominence? Humility at home matters.
“No one was ever number one in our house,” Spieth explained. “If you walked into my house now, there are no golf trophies. There are no basketball trophies. It’s just a house where three kids grew up.”
Maxey echoed the importance of that sentiment.
“I do agree; no one’s ever number one,” Maxey said. “Everyone’s treated equally. It doesn’t matter what age they are. If they mouth off, they’re going to get it.”
Added Ann Shaw, mom of rising U.S. women’s soccer star and Frisco native Jaedyn Shaw: “[My kids] see it. They know the energy that comes from me is equal to all of them. That’s how we keep the emotional flow in our house.”
“I think what’s important is that we involve the other kids with what everybody else is doing — not, ‘This is the schedule, and that’s it,'” noted Mercedes Robertson, mother of NHL stars Jason and Nicolas Robertson. “You have to kind of foster it. You have to really nurture that bond. Because that’s what’s going to help them as adults when you’re not around them daily.”
Self-care isn’t optional — it’s essential
There’s no denying the emotional toll that raising a pro athlete can put on mothers and the “team behind the team.” Which is why it’s important, the moms said, to not let own needs often came last.
“We tend to put ourselves in the back and we don’t take care of ourselves,” Maxey said. “We don’t take care of our mental needs, we don’t take care of our physical needs. And what I have learned is there has to be a balance. So if I had to tell my younger self something — when I first got married and started having children — it’s, ‘Denyse, take care of you, too.’ That’s what I would tell any young mother in this position where her child or children are trending in that direction to be a professional athlete.”
Whatever that self-care looks like for the parent, it’s not indulgent — it’s necessary.
Sharing responsibilities among both parents, focusing on the strength of a marriage and keeping tabs on the larger family sacrifice all play a vital part in success as well.
The Shaw family, for example, has moved twice now — to San Diego and North Carolina — to follow Jaedyn Shaw as she embarked on her professional career. That kind of commitment, Ann said, needs to be balanced with others.
“[My husband and I] run 100 miles an hour trying to get [the kids] everywhere,” she said. “But don’t forget about your spouse. We make sure to have a date night every two weeks. It keeps you connected when you’re constantly dividing and conquering.”
Indeed, the “divide and conquer” concept was a common theme throughout the discussion.
“In our case, we had a golfer [Jordan], a basketball player [Steven Spieth] who played in college and a couple of years in Europe, and a special needs daughter at home who’s eight years younger than Jordan,” Christine Spieth said. “We had to divide and conquer. My husband knew more about golf. I know nothing about golf — I’m just gonna make that clear, don’t play it, know nothing about it, even though I have a golfer. But I stayed back and did the AAU [basketball] tournaments with my son because my daughter can’t take the noise. She just can’t be on a golf course because she’s unpredictable and you have to be quiet. So, we divided and conquered. And now we’re all back together.”
Jami Smith, mother of NFL Pro Bowl receiver and Rockwall native Jaxon Smith-Njigba, said she’s still struggling with prioritizing her own needs.
“I’m probably still struggling with that balance, but I think it kind of works for me to not be balanced, to be able to roll with what’s happening,” said Smith, whose other son Canaan is also a pro athlete, having played two seasons of Major League Baseball. “[We] try not to overly plan what’s happening, especially with kids in multiple sports and in multiple journeys.”
Your child’s mental health matters more than any rankings
Success breeds jealousy. And jealousy breeds unsolicited comments and rude behavior.
Dealing with trolls and critics and haters can thicken the skin of the athlete in some cases, sure. But not all children are prepared for that mental and emotional toll when it comes, so it’s important for parents to keep tabs on their kids’ mental well-being, and not just their physical talents.
”The hardest part was they come out with rankings in high school and [Bobby] got ranked number one,” said Laurie Witt. “So, every game, [opposing fans] would be yelling ‘Overrated!’ It bothered me. It bothered his sisters. Bobby Jr. said it didn’t bother him as much as it really did bother me seeing other parents being really not nice. Even a grandmother one time at a playoff game said to my daughter, ‘I hope he strikes out. He’s not good. He’s overrated.’ To my daughter!”
But overly coddling a star young athlete can also lead to problems. So Shaw makes it a point to keep things level with her daughter no matter the situation.
“Sometimes I’ll treat her like my normal daughter even when she’s overwhelmed by the cameras and media,” Shaw said. “I think it gives her relief — like she can just be.”
The moms agreed that moments of emotional grounding like that were often what helped their children remain resilient.
It takes a village, but you should still keep your circle tight
As a child’s talent grows, so does outside interest in their possible fame — and that can get messy quickly.
“Once your child is identified as a potential pro, the vultures are coming,” Maxey warned. “You have to keep your circle very tight. We were very specific: ‘You do not go to our son. If you contact him directly, you’re out — whether you’re a coach, an agent, anyone.'”
To avoid issues, the moms created rules around contact and communication, and scheduled specific windows when coaches could talk with their child. These boundaries helped preserve these families’ authority and protect their children’s focus.
Youth sports are rarely isolated activities. And having a support system — family or not — can help lighten the mental load during frantic moments.
“Being such a young mom, you’re so caught up in the sacrifice of how am I gonna pay for this? How am I gonna get them there?,” Smith said. “I’m so fortunate for the great teammates that we had, the connections, the families — it’s who you celebrate your holidays with.”
Find purpose in the chaos
Raising a pro athlete means constant travel, nonstop practicing and very little down time. But it’s important, too, to take stock of all your family has accomplished together.
Said Robertson: “Within that organized chaos, pick a few moments to make it all make sense and worth the journey.”
The travel, the financial investment, the missed family events — it’s all-consuming. But, for these moms, it also created lifelong memories and purpose.
“Control what you can, make do with what you have available and just go with it,” Robertson added. “I think a lot has to do with the passion they have. A lot of times, you have to remind them that they made a commitment for the year. There are a lot of sacrifices made, not just individually but as a family. And you have to remind them as a parent, I’m not your best friend. Sometimes they’re mad at you, but the passion and their dream keeps them focused. That’s what our jobs as parents have to be.”
Remember: Your child is more than an athlete
In a world of cameras, contracts and constant comparison, the ultimate goal these mothers share is striving to keep their children grounded.
As they raised their children to greatness, these moms never lost sight of what mattered most: family, love and balance.
“I always tell my kids: soccer is what Jaedyn does,” said Shaw. “It’s not who she is.”