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Our daughter, who was an only..went through various stages of dance...ballet, tap, etc..from 3-6, then did nothing until 6th grade, when she started volleyball. Didn't like that, started Basketball in 7th, did that through 11th and ran track 9-12th. She took piano from 5th-12th.
No, she didn't get any scholarship $$...get that out of your mind...it's a slim chance, unless they play tennis or golf.
I'd say let her tell you what she likes.
DON'T push, unless you like HS drama.
Exactly! From some of the posts on here, I was starting to think I may have horribly screwed up my life by never having played a team sport! I think the OP should prepare himself for the possibility of disappointment if he's putting all his eggs into the sports basket. But really, she's probably just not old enough to really know what she wants- she's four!
LMAO! That's hillarious! All of your accomplishments mean nothing if you didn't play team sports!
I've got news for the parents who believe being involved in sports keeps kids out of trouble: The sports teams is one of the main places kids are introduced to kids who do drugs.
Sports are great. I'm glad my children played. But don't think that being on a team is the be all and end all of success.
Quote:
Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine
I don't want to veer off-topic, but do parents push this hard for an appreciation/experience of the arts?
They'd never post a thread saying "Help, my daughter can't draw or paint!" They'd just accept their child isn't talented or interested in art.
I have raised 4 children. Sports are what keeps adolescents busy and out of trouble in high school, but in order to compete, children need a foundation in sports from a very young age. If you are able, you must live in a community which has programs for this.
Girl's programs are in place now, where they weren't always, so your daughter should definitely be encouraged to participate.
Or, if forced, they make children rebel in high school. Not to mention that the sports teams in high school tend to not attract the best crowd (coming from one of the top baseball and football high schools in GA).
The only sports I ever had any interest in were competitive dancing, martial arts, and marching band. My parents had no interest in watching the first 2 so they forced me to play basketball and softball for years upon years. I HATED it- particularly when I got a condition in late elementary school that made me gain 50 lbs in a year (all while playing on several VERY competitive softball and basketball teams). I had to be absolutely dragged to practices and have very vivid memories of being 11 or 12 years old crying on the field because I was so miserable.
Team sports aren't for everyone. My parents never let me do the athletic activities I wanted to do because of their own interests and hopes that it would "keep me out of trouble". If they had paid any attention to me when I started at 4 and was clear that I was NOT INTERESTED, then maybe I could have had my interests fostered in another field. I was able to do marching band in high school, but only after sacrificing a lot of practice time in middle school to traveling competitive sports teams that I hated.
I agree with gentlearts. Kids need a foundation of sports at an early age to build the coordination and confidence, especially girls. I remember growing up how the girls in the neighborhood were uncoordinated becasue they were NOT taught basic skills of throwing and catching. I always found it odd how the girl next store threw a ball like a shot put. Is this a life skill? perhaps not, but if not learned at an early age it can discourage someone from participating on a team.
My advice would be to sign your dd up for classes/sports that she is interested in. Soccer may or may not be her thing, she's only 4, it's really too early to tell.
My dd (4) asked to take ballet for about a year and I finally signed her up and she loves it. She's also interested in music and swimming so those are next on our list. I think she will like soccer but she's not interested right now so I won't be signing her up. The introduction to sports should be fun, not work. Forcing a child to do a sport when they don't want to will backfire.
I think that some people are more athletically inclined then others, just like certain people are more into art or music. Let her choose her path and she will find the things that she enjoys doing. If it turns out that she's not into sports, so be it.
I am a father of a 4 year old daughter. I'm not trying to push her to be a professional athlete, but wanted sports to be a part of her life. She is currently in soccer class, and seems a bit disinterested compared to the other kids. I don't want to push too hard, but don't want to be too laid back either. For those who have been down this road before I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
You want sports to be a part of her life, but what does she want? Being a parent isn't about your daughter meeting your expectations for her life. It's about helping her grow up to be a happy, productive adult.
She's 4. If she doesn't like soccer don't make her do it. There are many worthwhile activities for kids to try. Some are team sports. Others individual sports and yet others are NOT even sports at all (music, theater, dance, cooking, art.....).
I used to have a colleague who was pushed a little too hard into swimming as a child, to the point where she was willing to give up all of her achievements at an international level at the age of 15 because she just wanted to be a normal teenager. Her story has always stuck with me, and now I'm super wary of pushing her into anything!
Not everyone is into sports. It's pretty simple. My parents forced my middle sister to play sports when she was younger, and she was miserable. When they took her out she became much happier. My oldest sister and I are the athletes, and she is just different.
Give her a choice when it comes to playing or participating and if she doesn't like it past the point of normal resistance, don't push it.
Too many parents have some pipe dream that their kids are going to be the big wigs at a HS campus level...and they just might be. And then the kid goes to college or tries out for the US Olympic team and finds out they got nothing.
If parents would spend as much time on academia as they did dragging their kids to practices and games (while putting school on the back burner) and getting some hard on over what they could never do...well, their kids would be a lot better off.
There IS a reason so many professional athletes can't spell "I'm a dumb ass". Let alone manage their money. And once they break a leg, arm, head and can't play any longer at the age of 27...they've got nothing to fall back on. Other than some crappy reality tv show.
There IS a reason so many professional athletes can't spell "I'm a dumb ass". Let alone manage their money. And once they break a leg, arm, head and can't play any longer at the age of 27...they've got nothing to fall back on. Other than some crappy reality tv show.
This is true. We hired a moving company to move our office a few years ago.
One of the moving company laborers was a former Penguin hockey player.
THAT'S what he is doing with his life now---moving furniture.
Not everyone is into sports. It's pretty simple. My parents forced my middle sister to play sports when she was younger, and she was miserable. When they took her out she became much happier. My oldest sister and I are the athletes, and she is just different.
This describes our family perfectly. My oldest and youngest play football, lacrosse, they wrestle, weightlift, etc.....
My middle son played lacrosse when he was younger. He liked it at the youth level but he is not hyper competitive so he stopped playing in middle school. Now he is in band at school. He plays in a community band. He does percussion ensemble in the spring. He takes piano and drum lessons. He has interests, they just aren't athletic interests.
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