Sometime I think that sports are the just the parent’s way of getting this obnoxious child out of the house for an hour every day. As for my family, sports was a foreign, alien thing that we watched somewhat trepidatiously from afar. My career in sports was—and still is—not impressive. I’ve danced since I was three, on-and-off because we travelled a lot. My sister and I started swim as soon as my mother could trust us not to scream and flail once our toes touched the water. Since then, a few bruises and scrapes, several running and other dance programs later, I still have not touched a football, my experience with golf is the miniature sort, and my basketball-playing friends think I’m hilarious. It’s a problem parents throughout the United States have faced. Almost every parent has asked themselves: should we force our children into sports?
The children will learn from the experience. Without sports, children may not develop the habits needed to thrive later in life. Psychiatrists from Melbourne Child Psychology state that “…physical activity is extremely important for kids. And playing team sports can help to build confidence, learn social skills and teamwork, and establish longer term healthy lifestyle habits.” Sports are tremendously beneficial for forming a child’s character. One may struggle without the experiences of working in a team situation and having a blast while doing it. Children usually will not run out of the house to run around a track in team practice rather than run around and play. Sports encourage physical activity because they are both a game, appealing to the child, and a structured physical activity, appealing to the parent.
Yet forcing children to participate in sports might harm relationships and abilities. The pressure put on kids may be degenerating. Because of this, children may not be able to function very well. Professor Yuko Munakata, department of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder in Colorado, states that the more one forces children into sports, the more the child’s decision-making capabilities will deteriorate. Also, when parents force children into stressful situations, such as team competitions, it may bring on physical pains. Dr. Adler—director of medical education in the department of pediatrics at the University of California at Los Angeles—asserted that, "Abdominal pain is a common outlet for such stresses … Other manifestations can include headaches, pain in the limbs or troubles with breathing.” What both these articles are putting forward is that the strain of being forced into sports may cause both psychological and physical troubles, both in the child’s near and far future. Far from giving children what they need, forcing children into sports may be detrimental to their abilities when coping with painful or stressful situations.
However, there is no denying that sports can be good for you. The problem lies in being forced—not in what children are being forced into. It may have a solution beneficial, if not enjoyable, to parent and child alike. Such as consulting the child’s stance on sports, or instigating a probational period to try it out. After all, we are stuck with our families.
May sports prolong the inevitable.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10912771/Forcing-children-to-play-sports-and-do-homework-may-be-bad-for-them.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/31/style/relationships-forcing-children-into-sports.html
https://www.melbournechildpsychology.com.au/blog/how-hard-should-you-push-your-kids-to-play-sport/
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