I feel lucky to belong to a community where parents are actively participating in their children's sport. I enjoy having a chat with them whenever we get to meet at our kids' practices or actual games, and just recently, we had a very meaningful conversation about the current status of youth sports-- not just in our city, but in the entire country as well.
Many of them expressed their concern over the fact that their kids are growing more and more frustrated with their sport. They often hear their kids saying they want to give up and quit playing. And when these parents ask their kids why they feel that way, the common answer is, "I'm just too tired."
I totally agree...our kids are increasingly burnt out and beaten up by the present athletic environment that doesn't seem to be pro-athletes. Sadly, our youth sports is now focused on 'winning today' rather than the long-term success of young players.
Let me share with you some of the things these parents dislike about the trends in youth sports today.
"Youth sports has become more and more expensive."
It's a shame that town leagues and local play are slowly disappearing, and now, parents need to spend thousands of dollars to send their kids to tryouts and long-distance competitions or tournaments. While I agree that these are necessary for the development of young athletes, but not for those who are younger than 12 years old.
"Youth sports uses up a lot of kids' time."
In a highly organized sporting scene, a child typically has to spend around 5 hours (including travel time, preparation, warm-up, etc) for just an hour or less of actual play. This, I believe, is too much for young kids. We have to remember that they're not playing for a professional ballclub or tournament. Having them spend that much time for sports is like robbing them of their childhood.
"Kids just want to play; but adults want to win."
It's good that kids learn to be competitive at a young age, but overemphasizing the importance of being competitive and a winner is definitely not ideal. Many of us tend to forget why our kids love their sport in the first place - they love and enjoy playing. Many adults don't realize that by forcing kids to win games, they are actually making these kids lose the love they have for the sport.
So, is there anything we, as parents, can do to help our kids survive this kind of environment?
Yes, we need to do a better job at making our children feel supported in their chosen sport. We have to be their constant reminder that sports is something they can learn from and enjoy at the same time.
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