This has been on my mind as I listen to a handful of parents in my community say, “We’re making them play.”
You do a nice job of striking the balance in your article. Good ideas.
The “making them” comes with good intentions, I believe. But leaves little space for what could be if a child wasn’t scheduled. The fear for many parents is they’d be up to no good. If that’s what ends up happening, you tackle that. But it might not!
In my case, my son loveddddd soccer. I saw him happiest in the soccer field but as competitions grew tougher through high school years, I saw the horrors of parent coaching, pressure from the coaches, pay to play circumstances! I had to help him navigate these things. It hurt his self-esteem sometimes and realized the value of fairness. This is another realm altogether. Just thought I'd share too. ☺️
Thank you for sharing your and your son's experience. There are so many facets of kid's sports - there's a lot to navigate and it's not just about getting fit and having fun : (
This has been on my mind as I listen to a handful of parents in my community say, “We’re making them play.”
You do a nice job of striking the balance in your article. Good ideas.
The “making them” comes with good intentions, I believe. But leaves little space for what could be if a child wasn’t scheduled. The fear for many parents is they’d be up to no good. If that’s what ends up happening, you tackle that. But it might not!
Or, alternate a sport with a season off. 🙏
In my case, my son loveddddd soccer. I saw him happiest in the soccer field but as competitions grew tougher through high school years, I saw the horrors of parent coaching, pressure from the coaches, pay to play circumstances! I had to help him navigate these things. It hurt his self-esteem sometimes and realized the value of fairness. This is another realm altogether. Just thought I'd share too. ☺️
Thank you for sharing your and your son's experience. There are so many facets of kid's sports - there's a lot to navigate and it's not just about getting fit and having fun : (