tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post3799733834683598009..comments2024-03-06T02:27:43.423-06:00Comments on My Little Life: What Are We Doing to Our Kids?Mama M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00675065017958191800noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post-23104128188348206832014-06-27T23:16:07.996-05:002014-06-27T23:16:07.996-05:00A few years ago my life became sports for exactly ...A few years ago my life became sports for exactly four months. Baseball for 12 hours a week and soccer for 5. Every single weeknight and every Saturday. It got to the point that my kids were begging me to let them skip practices and games. They just wanted to have time that wasn't scheduled. I decided then that if my kids never wanted to be on a team again I was OK with that. We haven't signed them up for anything since. We play paintball as a family, we mountain bike, we hike, we play football in the backyard, toss a baseball around... It may not be ideal because they'll probably never be able to play in high school because they won't have lived and breathed any sport for their entire lives, but this way they still get exercise, they still get family time, they still get to church every week and we still have dinner together every night. If my kids ever ask to be on a team I won't say no unless there are games or practices on Sundays, but so far they haven't asked. So I think we'll continue as is until they change theirs minds - if they do. For now I love that we are in control of our time - not the sports.Bethanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14888242466359929076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post-86804715897764337662014-06-20T20:51:50.634-05:002014-06-20T20:51:50.634-05:00Yay Stacy!
And Mama M., great post- to your poin...Yay Stacy! <br />And Mama M., great post- to your point about having sports and fitness options for kids who aren't playing Varisty or "specialists"- Amen! I didn't realize until I was in my 30s (!) that PE should be for fun! That it should be a total noncompetitive blast, where you can try a bunch of sports or games and burn off some energy and spend positive time with peers. If you pick up some skills great, but the point is to have a positive experience with fitness: no grades and no pressure. How wonderful if our schools and community groups could provide this- so our children can consider fitness as a fun part of everyday life. There are lots of cooperative options- we didn't go through the 1970' for nothin'- as well as creative/group projects (like dance, trail clearing, gardening, trash pickup). Yay to all the parents trying to foster kid-friendly, playful fitness options in their communities.tinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post-63325421761086548872014-06-19T22:38:01.966-05:002014-06-19T22:38:01.966-05:00I think you just have to stand your ground. Know w...I think you just have to stand your ground. Know where you will draw the line in saying no, and stick with it, even when people question you on it. <br /><br />LONG before Drew and I ever had kids, we decided we'd have a 1 sport per season, no travel teams rule. We knew we wanted a handful of kids, and didn't want to run the family ragged with going from sport to sport. We've already had people question us and push a us a little on it, and we only have Brayden in sports AND HE'S FIVE. I'll be the first to admit that it does seem easy to stroke my own pride since I love hearing that B is great at sports and he'd be great in "xyz" league, but it doesn't help ANYONE in our family, even the one who's playing. <br /><br />AND all that being said... you have to do what works for your family. I have friends who have chosen the competitive leagues and the travel teams and they love it and seem close. I can't chose what they do with their family time, and it's not my role to judge how they do things. :)Lindshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14739426687533738884noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post-75701786577622770752014-06-19T17:49:46.379-05:002014-06-19T17:49:46.379-05:00I have been reading some good books about this lat...I have been reading some good books about this lately. The system is soooo deeply rooted, it seems tough to tackle the beast. But I agree with the Stacy (above)---it does come down to parents saying no. We have with our child a couple times---just said no, he is not "moving up" to be more competitive--he is going to stay a kid. The goal of youth activities should be to have fun and develop at their age-appropriate level---in that order. It's a tough conversation with an even tougher "fix..." of there is one.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07784123446038230425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post-73726878927853869122014-06-19T11:43:15.959-05:002014-06-19T11:43:15.959-05:00Oh my have I had this exact conversation with frie...Oh my have I had this exact conversation with friends over and over.... I think the solution stems with us parents. We have to be willing to stand up, to be weird, to say no and get critized. We have thought about a letter to the AD, or a parent meeting that has a safe place to voice these concerns as well as with towards a solution... Keep talking. Keep brainstorming. And more than anything, keep fighting for family!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919858889505423494.post-13854716373695474212014-06-19T11:39:52.401-05:002014-06-19T11:39:52.401-05:00Love this post! Both of my kids are playing this y...Love this post! Both of my kids are playing this year one in tball and other in Bantam ball. We only have one practice each a week but the next level up practice a few times a week. But heck even at current ball levels the kids parents are super competitive and some have their kids decked out in all the fancy expensive gear that most of the families on the team could never afford but yet all the other kids think they aren't good enough to play without it.. Its a crazy thing yet I am like you not sure what the answer is. Shelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03358230869109786915noreply@blogger.com