Anyone have a kid who never did soccer?
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Anonymous
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My kid has never been particularly interested in soccer. She's 6. She has several other activities, including dance and swim, that she really enjoys. Everyone does soccer and I'm feeling guilty that we haven't done it. She's also never done a team sport and I feel like that would be useful, but just don't know that soccer is the right option for her -- while she can play, bike, and dance for hours, she gets tired after running for like 5 minutes.
Should we do soccer anyway even though she doesn't have any interest and (I anticipate) won't like it? To get her team sport experience and to stretch her endurance and skill set? Or should we double down on the stuff she already does and really likes? If your kid never did soccer, did you regret it? Anyone else thinking about skipping it? |
Anonymous
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Never at age 6? Op, I think you need to re evaluate your intensity.
Btw, mine started her first team sport in 4th grade. First soccer game she ever played in, she scored the first goal of the game. They're kids. They will be fine. |
Anonymous
| Oh boy…I’m thinking about this too re: 7yo DS. We live in a town where pretty much every boy does soccer and or baseball, so I do feel like we missed out on quite a bit socially as a result. We are actually pretty active as a family (eg. kayaking, rock climbing, snowboarding) but neither DH nor myself were ever really into team sports. I think the pandemic gave us that much less incentive to pursue them. I recently signed DS up for a “multisport” activity where he will do a little soccer, lacrosse, baseball, etc over two months with the idea that he should think about which one he might want to play on a team. I wouldn’t even bother except most of his friends play one of those sports, and I’d like for him to be comfortable being able to jump into a casual game if his friends want to play. Though not sure if “casual play” even exists anymore, given the intensity at which team sports are pursued at such an early age nowadays! |
Anonymous
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I’d certainly let her try soccer. My kids aren’t naturally athletic but I love them being outside and running around! Team sports are fun and good for kids. Plus soccer is one of the cheapest activities kids do.
Sign her up and let her try. |
Anonymous
| Nope. No swim team, either. Mine play baseball for now. |
Anonymous
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No team sports here. I have no idea who any of the professional teams are, and don't understand the draw of college sports either.
Being European, I was raised to pay attention to the World Cup, though, as soon as my country's team makes it to the quarter final. The last time they actually won, our Embassy in DC threw a party and showered the guests with champagne. My kids were like: "So that's champagne!? Lick" 
We mostly like to go hiking, mountain climbing and horseback riding. My husband likes to sail, catamarans particularly. |
Anonymous
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Nope! Mine are 10, 8, and 6; they never expressed interest in it, and we didn’t push it. I played soccer as a kid and loathed it.
They do summer swim team and swim year round (not super intensely), martial arts, Girls on the Run. But not soccer. |
Anonymous
| I am 44 years old and have never played a game of soccer in my life. In fact I never did a single ball sport as a kid. I did ballet, gymnastics, track & field, swim… but nothing with a ball. I did have to play volleyball in PE and it was pure torture. |
Anonymous
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DD was never interested in a team sport and no sports at all until late in ES when she decided to try fencing. Team sports are not necessary.
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Anonymous
+1. I love seeing kids running around outside. I’m another outlier who encourages you to sign her up and see how the fall goes. There really is no reason not to at least expose her to team sports. And again, it’s outside and in the fall weather. There’s no downside to trying. |
Anonymous
| I have four kids. One did one season of soccer and hated it. The bother three never did it. All are happy, athletic and thriving. Youngest is in high school. |
Anonymous
| I think you’re overthinking. Skip soccer if she’s not interested. DD (now in college) did gymnastics and dance. All her ES friends played soccer and maybe in the early years she missed out a little socially. However, she did Girl Scouts and made lots of school friends that way and over the years the soccer team had girls coming and going. By late ES, nobody cared about who played on the team in 1st and 2nd grade. Our boys did play on school teams. The older played on the same team until it disbanded in MS but again kids came and went and he had many friends who didn’t play. Our younger son started off on the school team but got frustrated the kids weren’t focused and moved to travel. Really it didn’t seem to make a difference as long as the kids had some activities they enjoyed. |
Anonymous
This can be a big plus for at least trying soccer. At least where we live the rec soccer teams are organized by ES so soccer team esp in k-1st grade was the main way I got to know other parents and my older child's friends were mainly kids from the team. My younger was adamantly opposed to team sports and so we didn't push it. But she also took longer to connect with a good friend group. |
Anonymous
| If she felt like she was missing out she would ask to do it. My daughter never did soccer..she's in college and fine. |
Anonymous
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Why not try it, OP? Like others have said, it’s inexpensive and outside. It’s certainly not going to hurt your daughter and she might love it.
We did soccer for both our kids and neither became soccer stars but they did sleep better on the days they played. |