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Who's insulting now? My whole point is that by not playing sports a student is not going to go downhill, get into trouble, go to college or succeed in life. So much emphasis is put on sports that it drowns out the whole reason to go to school. My boys love football but is it more important than getting an education? No. If they didn't play so be it. For you folk's that disagree, fine, sports is most important. I just happen to disagree.
Who's insulting now? My whole point is that by not playing sports a student is not going to go downhill, get into trouble, go to college or succeed in life. So much emphasis is put on sports that it drowns out the whole reason to go to school. My boys love football but is it more important than getting an education? No. If they didn't play so be it. For you folk's that disagree, fine, sports is most important. I just happen to disagree.
We must be reading two different threads. I haven't seen anyone say that sports is more important than getting an education nor have I seen anyone insulting those who are uninterested in sports.
You however, do seem unwilling to acknowledge that sports CAN be a positive thing in the lives of some children/teens. If having the hopes of playing on a team keeps an otherwise "at risk" student in school and focused on success - how is that a bad thing? If an athletic scholarship allows a student who might otherwise be unable to attend college -how is that a bad thing? If an always gangly, otherwise shy, introverted child, finds all of a sudden he is pretty darn fast and gains confidence through running cross country or track how is that a bad thing? If going to football/basketball/whatever other sporting event allows kids a safe place to socialize with their peers and root for a common thing - even if that is all they have in common...how is that a bad thing? In most schools that I know of, participation in sports, is not mandatory. No one is insisting that you personally have to participate, or even like it. But no need to dis on those who do....<shrugs>
Last edited by maciesmom; 04-05-2011 at 04:25 PM..
I don't know LeavingMass......sounds like he is becoming part of the "problem"...How dare he "skip to work each day"....if it weren't for sports he'd probably have found the cure for cancer by now...
Maybe not quite an insult but an innendo at the very least. Sarcasm just muddles posts up when one poster has to leave for a while.
We must be reading two different threads. I haven't seen anyone say that sports is more important than getting an education nor have I seen anyone insulting those who are uninterested in sports.
You however, do seem unwilling to acknowledge that sports CAN be a positive thing in the lives of some children/teens. If having the hopes of playing on a team keeps an otherwise "at risk" student in school and focused on success - how is that a bad thing? If an athletic scholarship allows a student who might otherwise be unable to attend college -how is that a bad thing? If an always gangly, otherwise shy, introverted child, finds all of a sudden he is pretty darn fast and gains confidence through running cross country or track how is that a bad thing? If going to football/basketball/whatever other sporting event allows kids a safe place to socialize with their peers and root for a common thing - even if that is all they have in common...how is that a bad thing? In most schools that I know of, participation in sports, is not mandatory. No one is insisting that you personally have to participate, or even like it. But no need to dis on those who do....<shrugs>
I acknowledge that sports can be positive as I have said in numerous posts...my own children play. Yes it can be a good thing. My whole point that I hope you will acknowledge after so many posts is that sports can underplay academics. My "dis" is on the adults and students who choose to make sports more important than academics. You don't need to tell me how important it is for a child to feel like they belong or that kids need a safe place. One of my kids is that kid who feels like they belong since joining football....BUT...football should never be more important than school. What's sad is that there are parents and school faculty who think otherwise.
I acknowledge that sports can be positive as I have said in numerous posts...my own children play. Yes it can be a good thing. My whole point that I hope you will acknowledge after so many posts is that sports can underplay academics. My "dis" is on the adults and students who choose to make sports more important than academics. You don't need to tell me how important it is for a child to feel like they belong or that kids need a safe place. One of my kids is that kid who feels like they belong since joining football....BUT...football should never be more important than school. What's sad is that there are parents and school faculty who think otherwise.
This post is very reasonable.
If you would have said this in the beginning, you wouldn't have had the responses you did.
I loved your posts quite a lot. My simple question is: children in household who believe in just...genuine activities done together as a family, outside of organized sports...are they likely to be outcasts, mistreated, singled out, etc at school? Given how incredibly popular such "extra-curriculars" are retty much everywhere in the US, let alone suburban areas...I always fear my children will be singled out, excluded or mistreated for not participating in organized sports. They are still young but none of them shows any inclination to, or interest in organized sports.
I don't think kids who are not interested in organized sports are singled out at all, especially as kids age and the less interested kids drop out, or don't make the teams. In elementary school the boys do tend to play sports in the school yard but it does not require that the boys who play be especially good at whatever sport is being played. My middle son likes to play games with other kids but does not excel at organized sports and he has lots of nice friends, a girlfriend and an active social life. I think your kids will be fine.
I am not exactly sure what's not "genuine" about playing sports.
Not getting the point of this. So he wanted a career in Athletics and is doing that. Not everyone that participates in youth sports may want it as a career.
There's nothing wrong with playing sports. I thought the discussion here was the amount of time it consumes when parents have to shuttle kids around nearly every day of the week.
To clarify my original point, there's nothing wrong with playing sports. The fact that all three of my kids have played for years is evidence.
My point is this: When does it become too much? And when does it become so much that it becomes an imposition on all other aspects of a family's life and the child's academic and social life?
I would contend that there is definitely such a thing as too much, yet we parents lack either the judgment or the stones too simply say, "Three games and two practices a week? Have you lost your mind? They're TEN. We have lives outside of the ballfield, you know."
yet we parents lack either the judgment or the stones too simply say, "Three games and two practices a week? Have you lost your mind? They're TEN. We have lives outside of the ballfield, you know."
Who, exactly, is "we"?
I can tell you my DH and I had the judgement (he alone had the stones) to say, "One sport at a time". We never let them be over-scheduled and we never felt there was some invisible pressure on us to rush from one event to the other or to sign them up for every organized sport under the sun. All you have to do is be the Mom or Dad and say, "No".
Did you feel you couldn't do the same?
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...How dare he "skip to work each day"....if it weren't for sports he'd probably have found the cure for cancer by now...
