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Oh shutup. the best kids in school were the ones who did sports, including me. Look, I know kids who were in sports when they were frickin' 3, and there's nothing wrong with that. If they don't have any sports, especially over the summer, then they're going to get negative influence from kids who don't do anything, their friends are going to be kids who don't play any sports (& smoke 420 because it's "cool") and she's not going to be friends with smarter kids who are generally the ones who played sports in the future, so when she needs help with her homework, she's not going to have many friends to help her. In sports groups, we always cared a lot about sports, and we could always rely on each other for help. Don't listen to your daughter that way. Just tell her what I said, and that you know what's best. I have an utter dislike for parents who think 5-year-olds are rational enough to make these major decisions.
You must of went to an interesting school because the vast majority of kids on the sports teams in my high school were not the most stellar students in the classroom.
You are missing the point. It will teach her many things, not least of which will be the habit of an active lifestyle.
Or her Father could just take her outside to play in the fresh air. He can achieve the same reality without trying to relive his youth through his daughter.
Same with school?
Same with eating healthy?
Same with self-control?
Same with medicine?
See, a lot of people think that strenuous athletic activity is some optional thing that you can take it or leave it. No. It is just as essential to a healthy life as sleeping or eating. It's not an option. We can delay the bad effects of not doing it longer than we can with other things, but eventually it does catch up with you.
Your argument cannot be centered around "It's not right to force them to do something they don't want to do." You know what? Sometimes a kid's opinion doesn't matter.
Do you think I wanted to go to the doctor and get my shots? HELL to the NO. Do you think I wanted to eat fruits and veggies and homemade meals every day? No way. I wanted McDonald's and Red Robin and pizza and soda. But now I know how to cook and have good eating habits. You think I wanted braces when I was 11? Now everyone compliments my smile. You think I wanted sunscreen and moisturizing every day. No, that was ew...now no one believes my age.
My son (2.5) did not originally want to have anything to do with the swimming pool here at home. Now I cannot get him out of it. He will not leave willingly. Just 30 minutes ago, I had to drag him out for lunchtime and nap.
He didn't want to have swimming lessons last year. He screamed for the entire 40 minutes for the first few times. The swim instructor was like, "Oh, that happens with all of them." Three lessons in and he was all smiles. NOW he knows when it's Monday and he will see "Miss Kristine" and he hops around like his pants are on fire and can't even wait to get his suit on before he sprinting towards the window (it's an indoor pool place) and waving at her frantically, grinning ear to ear. The other day, he fell into our pool. We were standing right there, of course, but he swam himself to the side and pulled himself out. If we hadn't *forced* him to take the lessons, that would have never happened. He can pull himself out of any spot in the pool or spa now.
He didn't want to play with his scooter. Now it is his absolute favorite toy and he ZOOMS around the house at insane speeds doing tricks (one leg, no hands, one knee, sideways, etc). It is his absolute favorite toy.
He didn't want to get in the water at the beach. Now every day of my life is endless plaguing questions..."Go airport and go to beach?" "Airport, airplane, beach?" "Mom and **** go to beach?"
He was not really into the gymnastics class. Less than a year later, the other parents are like, "Your son is like that ninja warrior show." Ironic, because his next step will be coming with me to martial arts class.
Kids are not going to want to do a lot of things at first, but my rule is you have to try. And you have to pick something you make your own and do. There are far too many advantages of playing sports from an early age and keeping that up for a lifetime.
Oh good heavens. Never have I ever said that kids should be in charge of whether they go to school, get vaccinations, exercise self-control or any of the other irrelevant examples you trot out. This thread is about forcing children to participate in sports after they've made it clear they do not want to do so. Being forced to take part in a supposedly leisure activity that you don't like is a far cry from being forced to go to school or do any of the other things you cite.
Read my post. I said that it's perfectly acceptable to have a kid participate in a sport for a season to see if they like it. Often times they do. I signed my daughter up for soccer when she was 4. She hated it, but we had her finish the season. I offered it a few more times and she always said "No." She came home in 2nd grade wanting to play kickball. Signed her up and she played two seasons. Decided she didn't want to do it any more. I put her in an afterschool taekwondo program in 4th grade. She hated it at first, then came to like it and did it for a couple of years. During all that time she also was taking dance. When she got tired of that, I didn't force it on her.
Now, as a 15-year-old, she decided that she wanted to be in the colorguard at school and she loves it. Imagine that--a child with a mind of her own making a decision for herself and being pleased with what she's decided. Part of raising a child is helping them to have confidence in themselves and develop the skills to make decisions about their lives. If a parent makes all the decisions for them they'll never learn how to do that.
Which will also hurt her when she goes to college in a way. Part of a well-rounded student would also include participating in sports.
In what way? She makes good grades, is in colorguard, is on student council and is on the mock trial team. And she's spending the summer volunteering at an art-related summer camp. I doubt seriously that the fact that she doesn't want to play a team sport is going to keep her from going to college.
It's funny. My brother (patent lawyer with a EE and nanotech background) and I (physician) discussed this last night bc of this thread.
He hated team sports. He preferred individual sports and little contact.
I am the girl and I prefer team sports with lots of bashing. Also martial arts. I enjoy the jostling and hitting. I dunno why. I just do.
He played golf and tennis (which I also played but not as seriously) and I played soccer, baseball, basketball (as well as ran track and cross country in off-season), and I rode horses my whole life.
We both agreed that the whole "teaches you teamwork" thing is kind of a crock. For a variety of reasons, not least of which being that even at an early age, one or two kids wind up carrying any team.
We thought it was more important to learn how to compete in a healthy way. How to know how to win. How to experience winning and losing. What it feels like, how to approach it philosophically. How to work to improve something over and over. How to see that no matter how good you are, there is someone out there better, stonger, faster, more practiced, etc. Getting up when you fall down over and over and over. How we have both noticed in our careers (his especially) how the approach towards adversity is different in people who have played sports competitively.
If you think it's the competition that matters, there are lots of ways to compete besides being on a sports team. There are loads of academic competitions, speech/debate/drama competitions, dance team competitions, band competitions, ROTC competitions, FFA/stock show competitions, etc. A child doesn't have to be on a sports team to learn about the joy and despair of competition.
I have been from rural to suburban districts when I attended public school in Ohio. It has always been the general rule in the public school system. In private school, it was a different story in my experience, but that was due to the the lack of available sports.
Which will also hurt her when she goes to college in a way. Part of a well-rounded student would also include participating in sports.
yeah, no kidding. You don't want to let her fit the stereotype of *gulp* the average tween american girl. Keep her fit, and she'll learn self-management, and be more well-rounded overall.
I would say that plenty of people never do sports and are well rounded students.
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