Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Sports Are Good For Kids
It is a proven fact that kids who participate in sports are less likely to sub come to peer pressure, use drugs, drink or drop out of school. This is just one of the reasons I have been signing my son up for soccer. I have yet to be successful on getting him to participate but I keep trying. Now, that he is older I am going to see if maybe t-ball is his thing. I will find "his" sport eventually.
We start off going to soccer in September, talking about it through the whole summer. Last year my daughter convinced us she was going to play, then we get to the field and both kids refused to leave. Arrrgggh...we keep going through the end of October, with the kids just staying by our side. We continue to cheer lead and show our kids how exciting it can be and how happy we are to watch their friends play. We try a few times to get them onto the field but never push because I wouldn't want them to end up "hating" sports. I am confident that eventually they will want to play.
Last year we got Handsome involved in martial arts, gymnastics and he really wanted to dance with his sister's dance class but all of these cost mucho buckaroos. Soccer thankfully is only $50.00 for the very looooong season. It is oh so long, from September to June but your child remains active which is good for their heart and great for their social skills. Usually after a game the kids stay and play at the park or make play dates.
Organized sports are great for so many reasons.
Usually I let my kids know that if they want to be big and strong they have to keep trying until they are the best they can be. We practice at home with a soccer ball mostly passing and stopping (I don't know the technical terms).
Wish me luck for this coming September when I sign them both up again.
One of the hardest parts about being on the field and watching the kids is how enthusiastic some parents get when their kids are playing. Enthusiasm in a cheer leading sense is good. Enthusiasm where you are embarrassing your child by yelling at them or bad mouthing another child, isn't good sportsmanship and parents like this, take the pleasure out of attending a game for everyone involved. If you want your child to remain confident and happy to attend you have to be responsible in your parent/coaching technique.
When my son played sports, I always tried to encourage him by applauding the ENTIRE team and praising him when he did his BEST, no matter how he did.
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