It is a growing trend to start our children in organized sports at a very young age. Mom, dad, I am sure you proudly recall watching your first born playing soccer at the age of 5. The rules are simple. Everyone plays and nobody loses. Funny how the game always seems to end in a tie. Your little guy chases the ball mixed into a cluster with the other children. It's wild kicking in that cloud of kids. Thank goodness for shin guards! Amazingly, by the end of the season, they have learned some basic positions and are no longer on top of eachother. It is in that moment that you realized that your little one has some real athletic talent.
His atletic career continues to grow. He dabbles in soccer, basketball, baseball and football until he finds the one sport he really excels in. It is then that you see his passion for the game and his true desire to win. You pay for the private instuction and make the commitment to practice and play 5 days a week or more. That hard work pay off as he and his teammates win league games, tournments and move on to thier sports version of the "World Series".
As a family, you commit to raise the money to make your child's "World Series" deam a reality. You sell hotdogs, wash cars, and seek sponsors. Your friends , family and community rally around you, contributing to the cause. You have raised the funds...the team will have their opportunity to play.
You are surprised by the athletic talent of the opposing teams as you arrive at your child's tournment. It is then that you find out that this tournment allows teams to pick up "stud" players. To stay competitive with the other teams your coach feels he must do the same. The result... Your child and many of his teammates sit on the bench.
Who makes these rules and what does it do to your child's self esteem? What message does it send to your child? "You were good enough to play on our team all season, but you are not good enough to play these kids." I say come as a team, play as a team, leave as a team!
His atletic career continues to grow. He dabbles in soccer, basketball, baseball and football until he finds the one sport he really excels in. It is then that you see his passion for the game and his true desire to win. You pay for the private instuction and make the commitment to practice and play 5 days a week or more. That hard work pay off as he and his teammates win league games, tournments and move on to thier sports version of the "World Series".
As a family, you commit to raise the money to make your child's "World Series" deam a reality. You sell hotdogs, wash cars, and seek sponsors. Your friends , family and community rally around you, contributing to the cause. You have raised the funds...the team will have their opportunity to play.
You are surprised by the athletic talent of the opposing teams as you arrive at your child's tournment. It is then that you find out that this tournment allows teams to pick up "stud" players. To stay competitive with the other teams your coach feels he must do the same. The result... Your child and many of his teammates sit on the bench.
Who makes these rules and what does it do to your child's self esteem? What message does it send to your child? "You were good enough to play on our team all season, but you are not good enough to play these kids." I say come as a team, play as a team, leave as a team!
About the Author:
Jennifer Dumas is the mother of 2 talented children and the owner of SportsMomBoutique.com. Her company specializes in personalized apparel for the mom who is her child's biggest fan!
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