I was perusing the internet and ran across this video clip. This is an issue that I am very passionate about and needs to be addressed. I have been fortunate to have had some truly awesome parents over my years as a coach but others are not so lucky. Parents that try to live vicariously through their kids are running the experience for everyone including YOUR kids. I am a coach mainly because I love sports and mentoring youths but mainly because I want my kids (yours and mine) to have a great experience playing the sport they love. There is a link between childhood obesity and sports for certain but one of the missing links that is often not explored is the parents. Often times I am not a spectator but I do see parents that are pushing their kids a little too hard. I have seen some parents that think their child is going to the league this year at 5 years old and are constantly yelling at them when they make mistakes. That is undue pressure for a child that is to them, “just playing a game”. Sports are meant for fun and exercise so these kids can get out from in front of the PS3 or Xbox and have fun socializing in the outdoors. If you have a child that plays sports, I encourage you to keep it light and let them have fun.
What are your thoughts on this?
I must admit that I agree with majority of the points that were made. However, I disagree with the premise that the lack of participation in youth sports is a factor in childhood obesity. As a coach, I don’t schedule more than 2 practices a week. I can’t imagine that anyone would expect youth practice/games to be the only exercise their child gets. I would hope between school and home that the children will be active every day. Practice/games would be extra.
ReplyDelete