Thursday, October 23, 2014
Christian parents, kids, and sports
It was much more intense for my children than it was when I was growing up. It is even worse for my grandkids. Youth sports have exploded. There are two issues that I hear over and over again among Christian parents about youth sports.
One is the whole investment of time and money in super traveling teams. Will my child be deprived of a chance to get better if we opt out of the hyper competitive level? Am I robbing them of their childhood? How do I know how good my child well be? Will they burn out or get hurt if they play at a high level? (And the answer to this one is yes... some do). Will they get bored and quit if the skill level is not high enough? (And the answer here is yes, some do).
I do not claim to have all the answers, but here are a few ideas that might ease your mind. Most of your kids are not going to be professional athletes. Of all the kids playing Little League in your area, only one or two of them will play professionally. In fact, less than one in ten will play in college. Most of them will not even play in high school.
And if they are that good, trust me... they will make it, no matter what level they have played at. But that is not to say I am against competitive sports. I think they are fine if you use common sense. Some kids like competition. Many enjoy the experience. And some kids do enhance their skills and become better high school athletes. Nothing wrong with that.
But whatever you decide for your child, be supportive of your Christian friends who make other choices. Choosing to play at a higher competitive level does not have to mean parents are choosing sports over Jesus, church, and family. Nor does opting out mean that you value the right things more. Each family must do what they feel is best for their child. Support each other.
Which leads to the other thing I hear from Christian parents. How do they maintain a focus on Jesus when they travel so much?
So here are a couple of suggestions for that. Make it family time. Some of our best family memories were made on tennis trips. And I encourage families to worship on their travel. Have family church. It is rich and meaningful. Have worship with other Christian families on your team. Have worship at your hotel or at the field and invite other families to join you. You may find a whole new way to make disciples.
Being a parent is hard. But don't get overly stressed. Think, pray, get advice from successful parents (meaning those whose kids are faithful Christians), talk it out, and make a decision.
And whatever that decision is, it will work out.
Go God. And go whatever team your kids are playing on. At whatever level.
One is the whole investment of time and money in super traveling teams. Will my child be deprived of a chance to get better if we opt out of the hyper competitive level? Am I robbing them of their childhood? How do I know how good my child well be? Will they burn out or get hurt if they play at a high level? (And the answer to this one is yes... some do). Will they get bored and quit if the skill level is not high enough? (And the answer here is yes, some do).
I do not claim to have all the answers, but here are a few ideas that might ease your mind. Most of your kids are not going to be professional athletes. Of all the kids playing Little League in your area, only one or two of them will play professionally. In fact, less than one in ten will play in college. Most of them will not even play in high school.
And if they are that good, trust me... they will make it, no matter what level they have played at. But that is not to say I am against competitive sports. I think they are fine if you use common sense. Some kids like competition. Many enjoy the experience. And some kids do enhance their skills and become better high school athletes. Nothing wrong with that.
But whatever you decide for your child, be supportive of your Christian friends who make other choices. Choosing to play at a higher competitive level does not have to mean parents are choosing sports over Jesus, church, and family. Nor does opting out mean that you value the right things more. Each family must do what they feel is best for their child. Support each other.
Which leads to the other thing I hear from Christian parents. How do they maintain a focus on Jesus when they travel so much?
So here are a couple of suggestions for that. Make it family time. Some of our best family memories were made on tennis trips. And I encourage families to worship on their travel. Have family church. It is rich and meaningful. Have worship with other Christian families on your team. Have worship at your hotel or at the field and invite other families to join you. You may find a whole new way to make disciples.
Being a parent is hard. But don't get overly stressed. Think, pray, get advice from successful parents (meaning those whose kids are faithful Christians), talk it out, and make a decision.
And whatever that decision is, it will work out.
Go God. And go whatever team your kids are playing on. At whatever level.
