Last weekend, I took my kids and their cousins to the field for a fun game of football. Everyone played and competed like they never competed before. They ran and chased each other and completely made up the entire rules of the game. Everyone had lots of fun.
I paused and looked at the other group of kids at the park which was next to our field. They were also playing a game of football. But unlike our group, the kids on the other side were serious. Nobody was laughing, instead they were absorbed in the game.
Whenever one kid would make a mistake, the coach would go to him and tell him what he did wrong and what he should have done. The parents were also in the sidelines, shouting encouragement and their own piece of advice to their kids.
My group was also engrossed in the game, however they were laughing and enjoying themselves.
The other group was training hard, serious, and did not seem to have room in their mind at all for the word “fun.”
Most parents who sign up their kids in youth sports initially want their kids to have fun. But when the training starts, and they see that their kids have the potential, they push their kids to train harder. They soon start becoming competitive against the other kids and even their parents. The sport now becomes all about the parents, and not about the kids.
I think this erases the FUN factor from youth sports.
According to recent statistics, three our of four athletes drop out from organized sports upon reaching the age of 13. And, if you ask most of them why, the reason would almost always be about pressure. Pressure from the parents, their peers and in some cases, their coach.
Where do they turn to? Video games.
Kids turn to video games instead of sports because they are in full control of the situation. They may lose, but no one ridicules them for it. There are no pressure from their parents, and it is one venue where they can actually have fun.
I don’t know what other parents think, but I hate video games. I think they are violent, promote an idle lifestyle, and detach kids from the people and activities that are far more important.
Youth sports should be fun for the parents, especially for the kids. Kids, even if they make mistakes, deserve to be treated with respect. If you want your kids not continue with youth sports, they should not be taunted, negatively compared with other kids, and pressured if they are in fact, not ready.
Many kids have the potential to succeed, however, most of them lose their motivation whenever they start feeling uncomfortable with the sport. So, instead of pursuing it, they drop out.
For parents, instead of focusing on the competitiveness of the game, why don’t we focus on the “fun” aspect of it? The fun side of the sport will make your kids compete and determined to win.
For the coaches, treat your young athletes with respect. They have very vulnerable feelings. They are just kids and most of them cannot yet stand up for themselves.
Teach them the values of the game. Motivate them in the best way you know how, so in the next game, the parents would have to push and drag them to the field. Instead, they will look forward to each and every game.
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