MY TEENAGE SON WANTS TO QUIT ALL SPORTS FREE

Here is another set of questions to consider: “On one hand, you love baseball, but on the other hand, it feels as if the coach can be unfair. You can appeal to this “on one hand, on the other hand” thinking, especially with a 9-year-old. There is always some alarm and concern when you want something that means a lot to you. You can become an expert listener, allow all of his worries to come out, listen to his insecurities and help him begin to find some courage. If you answer “yes” to most of these questions, you have good reason to help your child stay in the activity until the end of the season.

Do the team, coach and team environment promote character traits that reflect your family ethos?.

MY TEENAGE SON WANTS TO QUIT ALL SPORTS FREE

Does your child have enough free time with this activity included in his life?.Does your child have time for everything else in his life that is important to him and your family?.Does your child worry about being new or not being a part of the team?.Does your child have insecurities about his ability compared to others?.Does your child only bellyache right before practice or the game?.Does your child put up a fight to get there but enjoy the activity once he has arrived?.Here are a couple of questions for you to consider as you decide what to do: This is when you have to chuck the parenting trends and studies and instead trust your intuition and what you see in front of you. Children definitely need fewer adult-led activities and more exploration and true play. Our kids are overcommitted (you admit your son is), stressed out and losing their childhoods to practices, games and being driven around for hours.īeing overscheduled leads to a decrease in boredom, which leads to a decrease in imaginative play, which leads to a decrease in creativity. On the other hand, parents are constantly being lectured on the lack of free time for children. You cannot take away the hard work and perseverance. Sticking with an activity even when the going gets tough can be deeply rewarding. Children need to “get through” or “suffer” something demanding so they can make it to the other side, experiencing the relief of finishing and the pride of sticking with something difficult.Īnd yes, this is true. On one hand, we are being told that our children need more grit and resilience. Our culture is sending some pretty intense messages, and many of them don’t match up. So, let’s accept this as a good learning (parenting) experience. Children grow exhausted, annoyed and outright angry toward their activities. I have yet to run into a parent who does not face this conundrum at some point. And I am going to make it tougher by not telling you what to do. So, should we make him play or let him quit (and actually enjoy our weekends and have quality time with him through the summer)?Ī. And yes, I think he’s overcommitted, but this is truly from his desire to play these sports, not because we want him to. For what it’s worth, he plays two other sports that he loves. I agree on teaching him about not quitting when things get tough, but I’m exhausted from forcing him to do it. My husband says that he should finish his commitment and then can choose not to play for the next season. I hate that this is the subject of our arguments. Our normally well-behaved kid is acting out at home over this and truly dreads going to baseball. We’ve invested a fair amount of money playing for this travel team, and this year’s commitment is through midsummer (at least three to four games per week). There is a little bit of coaching politics on who is playing the exciting infield positions, and we’ve spoken to the coach on his behalf to make sure he’s getting a fair shot at them. I think it is because he is now on a team that has become more serious and there are players more skilled than he is, and he’s used to being the best on the team. He cries on a regular basis about not wanting to go to practice (because it’s “boring” and “no fun”). Our 9-year-old son is miserable playing on his year-round select baseball team.

My teenage son wants to quit all sports