Part 1
When I was a boy, I had no opportunity
to participate in organized sports until I reached the age of nine. Today, many
children begin at the age of three or four—and some even younger! Is that wise?
When should kids begin organized sports?
At one exhausted point when
our three boys were playing both spring and fall soccer, I estimated that their
yearly commitments to games and practices totaled more than 100! And they were
also playing other sports. William Doherty asks: “How did children’s sports come to consume so much of family life?”
Before you register your
child for any organized sports, consider the larger picture: How will this
effect the whole family? Sports choices should consider the needs of
non-participating siblings. How will a brother feel if he is either dragged
along or forced to stay with relatives while his sister travels 10-15 weekends
a year to play soccer? No child should be required to do that year after year.
Furthermore, Christian
psychologist John Rosemond believes that “no other relationship or enterprise
of any sort should come before [the parents] relationship with each other.” In
many homes, couples pour all of their energy into their kids, leaving each
other the dregs. Is it any wonder that
second highest divorce rate is found in the years immediately after children leave the nest? Cathy and
I maintained a weekly date night, we occasionally vacationed without our kids,
and we didn’t let their athletic schedule trump all other commitments. Did we
miss some of their contests? Of course. But we were committed to putting God
and each other ahead of our boys’ athletic commitments.
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