What sport would you want your son/daughter to play?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not football or cheer leading. Also, the dangerous ones like cycling, skiing, and horseback riding are a turn off.

I love skiing as a family activity. I was a competitive skier in HS and college and still love it. My kids are both excellent skiers but the opportunites for competitive skiing here are limited. And neither kid has gotten hurt skiing. One broke a nose in soccer though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: It's not about YOU, it is about your CHILD. Let them do what they enjoy, not what YOU want to watch. How selfish.

I'm not the PP, but looking back at the question the OP asked....the question was what YOU would want your child to play, not what your child wants to play. Everyone who has posted here might end up with kids who want to do totally different things. THAT's OKAY. That wasn't the question posed.

[Anonymous]

I'll expose my kids to sports: soccer, little league, swimming, and they can choose what they want.

I went to a really small (30 kids in graduating class) religious private school and we simply didnt have all these options. There were girls and boys basketball and girls volleyball and boys roller hockey. That was it. I guess I could have joined a league outside of school, but I was busy with theater, choir, the newspaper, community service, etc...

I managed to get into a top tier school and a top-tier law school.

I would love my kids to like/love sports, but there are so many other hobbies out there that I really dont feel the need to push athlectics. I think its very important for them to get physical exercise (which I did not get much of growing up/at school) but I think that family biking outings, hiking, and weekend sports for fun will be more than enough if they do not choose to engage in a competitive team sport.

[Anonymous]

I know what sports I would prefer they not play.

We live around lots of horses but I'm hoping the kids do not get into it. I do not want to buy a horse. Cheerleading I would hate. DD takes gymnastic now and love it but I am relieved that she isn't very gifted or even good at it. Right now, its good for fun and gives her something challenging that isn't naturally good it which I think is a good experience. It looks too hard on young girls' bodies once they become competitive.

Sports I would like them to take would probably be running and track (simple and girls who run have fewer eating disorders), basketball, soccer, or softball. Hockey doesn't bother me and kid hockey is not violent. Swimming would be good but neither kid is that into swimming, which sucks because we have a pool and they need to learn how to swim.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's true you can be active w/o playing on a team, but you learn teamwork by playing on a team. Too many people in our society are out only for themselves whereas teamwork can help kids to learn to work together, to sacrifice a little self-aggrandization for the greater good. I like baseball because it has a good mix of teamwork and individual achievement.

You can also learn team work from playing in an orchestra or singing in a choir or working on the production of a play. IT's not all about sports.

[Anonymous]

"Anonymous wrote:
It's true you can be active w/o playing on a team, but you learn teamwork by playing on a team. Too many people in our society are out only for themselves whereas teamwork can help kids to learn to work together, to sacrifice a little self-aggrandization for the greater good. I like baseball because it has a good mix of teamwork and individual achievement.

You can also learn team work from playing in an orchestra or singing in a choir or working on the production of a play. IT's not all about sports. "

I disagree with this one. I played in the orchestra and it was nothing like playing on a team. There is not the same sense of camaraderie and we never competed against other orchestras. There is something about winning or losing together that is a good bonding experience.

[Anonymous]

I competed in choir competitions in high school. One act play competitions as well. Both of which I'd say were "team" efforts. I also participated in individual performance competitions but the school group had an interest in each person performing well so they school would receive good scores overall.

[Anonymous]

I have always let my daughter choose her sports, as long as she has something physical to do. She is currently on her school's track team and she is also a figure skater. The reason that I push the physical activity is because my child loves to eat and her metabolism isn't going to stay high forever! I call her "snack shack" because from the time she walks through the door until bedtime she is snacking, lol! She's also involved with Orchestra and is interested in volunteer work, too. I made her make a sport choice about 4 years ago and she was dragging her feet, so I said if you don't choose, I will do it for you and I was going to choose ballet. She opted for figure skating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Slightly OT, but does anyone here have a son who's doing horseback riding? I'm signing my son up next year and wonder if he'll be the only boy in class? I don't care (honestly), but I worry that "he" might.

Where are you signing him up? I've hesitated about my son for the same reason.

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP who said she hates sports and would love it if DC does not do any.

I was not joking. The question asked how I would like it to be, so I answered.

As for team-playing skills, I don't think sports is the one and all to learn those. Neither DH nor I grew up doing team sports and we do pretty well in that area in our jobs and at home.

We love biking and hope to share that with DD once the time comes. As for any other sports, we neither practice nor watch (except for the Olympics). That saves up a ton of time to read, watch films, go to museums and other events, and enjoy our time together.

I know some parents who have their kids signed up for two or more sports and confess to hating the fact that their weekends are pretty much tied up with practice and games. I don't want that for our family.

But I guess if DD ends up falling in love with a sport, God help me, I'll be sitting there on the bleachers or on one of those god-awful lawn chairs watching her. Hope I can squeeze in some reading during that.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you, PP. I think that most Americans place too much importance in children participating in organized sports. What ever happened to kids just kicking a ball around outside, or making up "sports" with their own rules with other neighborhood kids. Why does it have to be so structured?

My son is only 4 and most of his classmates from pre-school are already signed up on multiple sports teams. My son has no interest in this. If he did, I would let him participate. I am just playing it by ear with him right now... he just isn't yet interested in the organized aspects of play - he is perfectly satisfied playing t-ball in the yard with a few neighbors. I don't think that he will be stunted physically or emotionally by sitting out on a season or two of tiny tots soccer...

[Anonymous]

Ideally something she can take past high school - cross country running, maybe swimming, tennis, martial arts.

But there's nothing I'd draw the line.

[Anonymous]

AdequateParent wrote:...I know that nowadays it's common for a 5-year-old soccer "player" to have two parents on the sidelines, tweeting about her {largely inadvertent) goals...

simply not true. for 3/4 yos, maybe, but definitely not for most 5 yos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP who said she hates sports and would love it if DC does not do any.

I was not joking. The question asked how I would like it to be, so I answered.

As for team-playing skills, I don't think sports is the one and all to learn those. Neither DH nor I grew up doing team sports and we do pretty well in that area in our jobs and at home.

We love biking and hope to share that with DD once the time comes. As for any other sports, we neither practice nor watch (except for the Olympics). That saves up a ton of time to read, watch films, go to museums and other events, and enjoy our time together.

I know some parents who have their kids signed up for two or more sports and confess to hating the fact that their weekends are pretty much tied up with practice and games. I don't want that for our family.

But I guess if DD ends up falling in love with a sport, God help me, I'll be sitting there on the bleachers or on one of those god-awful lawn chairs watching her. Hope I can squeeze in some reading during that.

is your point that your children are too smart for sports? or that sports are for those not as smart as your children?

[Anonymous]

I was a swimmer up until college -- and it bord my parents to tears. I think they went to maybe one meet in my life. This didn't bother me -- it just wasn't their thing. My brother however played baseball and football and my parents were there at every game. I think if given the choice of not participating or participating with not support in the bleachers, most kids would rather participate.