Backyard Sports Timeout – Where our coaches field parents’ questions about Team Sports and offer ways to make it the Fun, Enriching Experience it’s supposed to be
Q: My child doesn’t seem to be enjoying his sport anymore. He complains that it’s too competitive; he doesn’t get enough play time; the other kids are better than him, etc. Should we let him quit the team and the sport that he used to love? We don’t want to raise him as a quitter when things get tough.
A: If your child tells you he wants to quit, that’s evidence that there’s something wrong with the program and that really needs to be addressed. But it’s a conversation you, as the parent, need to have with your child. We talk about obligation, and we talk about commitment, but to make a youngster go back to something they have a visceral distaste for, how can you do that to a kid? Are you teaching him that you have to honor your commitment at seven years of age, despite being miserable? Is that how we’re going to teach them about life?
There is a conflict here, no doubt, because most parents don’t want to raise quitters, but this is where the conversation begins. This is when mom and dad should stop listening to the other sideline parents and start listening to their child. It takes communication and it takes making decisions based on the unique qualities of who your child is, not what everybody else is doing.
From a 20,000 foot view, we consistently observe a very proactive minority of parents who tend to stir the pot at youth sporting events: acting up on the sidelines or manipulating which team and coach their child plays with. That small minority are often the ones driving the majority of people into a fearful angry vortex, which is making sports uncomfortable for both the young athletes and the parents.
At Backyard Sports, we believe parents and players need to be able to exercise their right to free speech and come forward and communicate the approach they want. Parents need to stand up to those loud, abrasive voices, letting them know that they’re not going to cede their athletic programs to them. The message is: We want a program that is right. We want a program that is good for kids. We want a program that’s going to teach, and we want a program that’s going to set our kids up to be successful people.
Backyard Sports provides weekend and after school sports instruction and game play for boys and girls ages 4-16 years old. Our programs are designed for EVERY child who desires a positive and healthy sports experience. #CompetitiveSportsDoneRight