Do you think most athletes were pushed by parents

[Anonymous]

Tom Brady didn’t start playing football until he was in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sister was an Olympian. My parents were definitely unmotivated.

The most successful elite athletes will be self motivated and self driven. My sister even had to find her own coaches and which was difficult as we lived in a very very rural area.

+1. My friend was an Olympic medalist. He moved away from home at 14 to train with high level coaches, because he wanted to win so badly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister was an Olympian. My parents were definitely unmotivated.

The most successful elite athletes will be self motivated and self driven. My sister even had to find her own coaches and which was difficult as we lived in a very very rural area.

+1. My friend was an Olympic medalist. He moved away from home at 14 to train with high level coaches, because he wanted to win so badly.

Allowing your child to move away from the family at age 14 is the very definition of a motivated sport parent. Who do you think paid for this move. Paid for the training? Paid for his room and board? Your friend would never have become an olympic medalist without extremely motivated parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tom Brady didn’t start playing football until he was in high school.

People on this thread are very naive.

Tom Brady played sports year round (including attending camps where he played football as a child). They went to NFL games as a family. Listen to some interviews of his parents. They talk about how they instilled competitiveness in all their children from a young age and encouraged sports. I think it is highly likely he would not have become an elite athlete without their support.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister was an Olympian. My parents were definitely unmotivated.

The most successful elite athletes will be self motivated and self driven. My sister even had to find her own coaches and which was difficult as we lived in a very very rural area.

+1. My friend was an Olympic medalist. He moved away from home at 14 to train with high level coaches, because he wanted to win so badly.

Allowing your child to move away from the family at age 14 is the very definition of a motivated sport parent. Who do you think paid for this move. Paid for the training? Paid for his room and board? Your friend would never have become an olympic medalist without extremely motivated parents.

I don’t know what you mean by “motivated parents.” They were motivated to help their son achieve his dreams, yes, but they weren’t happy that he chose to drop out of high school and move away from home at 14. It’s more that they realized that he was really motivated to train with the best, and the best weren’t near them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No, the ones who make it to the pros have the drive in themselves.

they are not “most” kids. The ones that make i5 to the pros are few and far between.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

OMG you are too much. I'm guessing the PP assumed you were joking because who seriously thinks they can assess another child's athleticism by seeing them play rec soccer at he age of five??? Can you also tell which kids are likely headed to the ivy leagues? I'm embarrassed for you that you were being serious. LOLOL

It's obvious who the natural athletes are when you go to all the games. I'm not predicting who will be in the MLS so your analogy makes no sense.

The kid on the team who plays travel + rec is getting way better and the kid who has private coaching is getting way better. Everyone else is staying the same.

How is that "too much"?

Do you know the statistics on how many baseball draftees don't make it to the MLB? Your kid is too young for you to even know that puberty is the great shake-up when it comes to sports, and even after that there's still uncertainty...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

As a parent I will not consider myself as having done a good job if my kid burns out. We have our kids in sports for the life lessons (they are motivated, but none of them have the athleticism it also takes to get to the top and that's OK). A life lesson in handling burnout in middle school is not what I have in mind. It's more like teamwork, sportsmanship, the fact that when you put in hard work you improve but the improvement isn't linear, and resilience. If our kids burn out from being pushed they're going to remember that, not the positive mental skills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

That's how it's supposed to work. The threat of "be careful" makes zero sense. Self motivated talented driven kids aren't flaming out at 12. It's the rest, which is how it goes. The parents didn't make the difference. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. But it's ridiculous to think that a motivated gymnast gets herself up and to the gym at age 7 for practice. So, parents will do their part and that's all they can do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think so especially with travel sports and parents wanting to keep kids so busy. But, these parents have always existed, I had a few friends with parents like this.

+1

Gotta give 'em something to do! The parents too, LOL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

As a parent I will not consider myself as having done a good job if my kid burns out. We have our kids in sports for the life lessons (they are motivated, but none of them have the athleticism it also takes to get to the top and that's OK). A life lesson in handling burnout in middle school is not what I have in mind. It's more like teamwork, sportsmanship, the fact that when you put in hard work you improve but the improvement isn't linear, and resilience. If our kids burn out from being pushed they're going to remember that, not the positive mental skills.

Burned out kids also realize they're not the best and they don't want to put in the work to get better because it's not their passion. I don't think truly talented kids burn out just because. You can't force them by sheer will to not "burn out" they know they don't have what it takes. Let them come to that conclusion with grace.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

As a parent I will not consider myself as having done a good job if my kid burns out. We have our kids in sports for the life lessons (they are motivated, but none of them have the athleticism it also takes to get to the top and that's OK). A life lesson in handling burnout in middle school is not what I have in mind. It's more like teamwork, sportsmanship, the fact that when you put in hard work you improve but the improvement isn't linear, and resilience. If our kids burn out from being pushed they're going to remember that, not the positive mental skills.

Burned out kids also realize they're not the best and they don't want to put in the work to get better because it's not their passion. I don't think truly talented kids burn out just because. You can't force them by sheer will to not "burn out" they know they don't have what it takes. Let them come to that conclusion with grace.

PP here. I think we're defining burnout differently. I'm thinking of how it's defined when it's articles directed at adults about how to deal with feeling completely harried, stressed, and crazy. If I pushed my kids too hard compared to their passion level, that's how they'd get - harried, stressed, and crazy. It would be bad parenting.

You (and any other PPs agreeing with you) are simply talking about kids who come to a natural conclusion that it's time to be done with their sport. I expect mine will all do that before college, possibly before middle school even. That would be fine. They'll pick something else to do. But if they come to that point because they feel overwhelmed by the amount of their sport that I am pushing on them, that's a problem.

And that's what I mean by be careful. Don't be more passionate about the sport than your kid is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

As a parent I will not consider myself as having done a good job if my kid burns out. We have our kids in sports for the life lessons (they are motivated, but none of them have the athleticism it also takes to get to the top and that's OK). A life lesson in handling burnout in middle school is not what I have in mind. It's more like teamwork, sportsmanship, the fact that when you put in hard work you improve but the improvement isn't linear, and resilience. If our kids burn out from being pushed they're going to remember that, not the positive mental skills.

Burned out kids also realize they're not the best and they don't want to put in the work to get better because it's not their passion. I don't think truly talented kids burn out just because. You can't force them by sheer will to not "burn out" they know they don't have what it takes. Let them come to that conclusion with grace.

PP here. I think we're defining burnout differently. I'm thinking of how it's defined when it's articles directed at adults about how to deal with feeling completely harried, stressed, and crazy. If I pushed my kids too hard compared to their passion level, that's how they'd get - harried, stressed, and crazy. It would be bad parenting.

You (and any other PPs agreeing with you) are simply talking about kids who come to a natural conclusion that it's time to be done with their sport. I expect mine will all do that before college, possibly before middle school even. That would be fine. They'll pick something else to do. But if they come to that point because they feel overwhelmed by the amount of their sport that I am pushing on them, that's a problem.

And that's what I mean by be careful. Don't be more passionate about the sport than your kid is.

I really don't buy that kids who love the sport can be burned out by the parents. Do you really think that happens that often? I think its pretty obvious those kids were never going to make it anyway and the parents get scapegoated. "I could have been great! I was the best they had ever seen! But my parents were annoying about it so I quit."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

As a parent I will not consider myself as having done a good job if my kid burns out. We have our kids in sports for the life lessons (they are motivated, but none of them have the athleticism it also takes to get to the top and that's OK). A life lesson in handling burnout in middle school is not what I have in mind. It's more like teamwork, sportsmanship, the fact that when you put in hard work you improve but the improvement isn't linear, and resilience. If our kids burn out from being pushed they're going to remember that, not the positive mental skills.

Burned out kids also realize they're not the best and they don't want to put in the work to get better because it's not their passion. I don't think truly talented kids burn out just because. You can't force them by sheer will to not "burn out" they know they don't have what it takes. Let them come to that conclusion with grace.

PP here. I think we're defining burnout differently. I'm thinking of how it's defined when it's articles directed at adults about how to deal with feeling completely harried, stressed, and crazy. If I pushed my kids too hard compared to their passion level, that's how they'd get - harried, stressed, and crazy. It would be bad parenting.

You (and any other PPs agreeing with you) are simply talking about kids who come to a natural conclusion that it's time to be done with their sport. I expect mine will all do that before college, possibly before middle school even. That would be fine. They'll pick something else to do. But if they come to that point because they feel overwhelmed by the amount of their sport that I am pushing on them, that's a problem.

And that's what I mean by be careful. Don't be more passionate about the sport than your kid is.

I really don't buy that kids who love the sport can be burned out by the parents. Do you really think that happens that often? I think its pretty obvious those kids were never going to make it anyway and the parents get scapegoated. "I could have been great! I was the best they had ever seen! But my parents were annoying about it so I quit."

Sure, that makes sense. My initial "be careful" (because that was me) was to the poster who was talking about her 5 year old. Pushing your 5 year old who doesn't even really know if they love the sport yet into hours of private lessons is the kind of thing I was talking about.

I even know a middle schooler who does private lessons for her sport but never practices outside of team practices and private lessons. She says she loves the sport but...does she really? Are those lessons really worth it?

I'm not talking about a kid who literally drags their parents out to watch them go through reps or toss a ball around or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I have a DS that is like you're describing. A natural athlete, plays various sports etc.

We haven't pushed at all. We're in rec leagues only. He asks to sign up for stuff with his school friends and if we can make it happen, we do.

There's this other kid on one of his soccer teams that is not as athletic as DS, and that was very clear a year ago when they were playing together.

That kid's dad arranged for a coach to work 1:1 with him.

Now, that kid is easily as good as my DS, if not better.

I'm sure the kid loves soccer and loves to play! But the parents are making the decision to invest in the "extras" that will make a difference in a highly-competitive area.

Now I'm stuck wondering if we're doing the wrong thing by being chill, especially since DS is only 6!!

Good one! I totally thought your post was serious until I got to the last line! LOL

Why do you think it's a joke? It's not!

I don't have illusions that he'll be in the MLS, but I'd like him to be able to play a sport in high school if he chooses. He's not redshirted with a summer birthday, so he's already on teams with kids a year older than he is.

It feels like, as a parent, his self-motivation and love of soccer will not be enough. If he wants to be good, he'll need parents (aka us) to start pushing travel, getting individual coaching etc.

DP. The statistics show if you push and he's not motivated, instead of a high school athlete you'll have a burnt out kid who drops out of sports altogether at 12-13. Be careful. Only go this route if your kid is pushing you to do it.

Be careful? You think a really terrible outcome is a kid plays for a few years and then quits at 12? I'm not seeing the problem here. It didn't pan out and they threw in the towel and the earliest possibility. I see this as a great outcome for a sport the kid wasn't meant for.

Sports participation is like an upside down pyramid. Of course kids are going to drop out along the way. However, in many sports, it is impossible to get to the top if you weren't already in the system at a young age. So it starts with the parent's motivation to expose the kid, then there comes a turning point, around age 12, where the kid has the same drive or doesn't. Many a young gymnast who quit at 12 found success in other sports. My friend was quite successful at NCAA track after 'retiring.'

As a parent I will not consider myself as having done a good job if my kid burns out. We have our kids in sports for the life lessons (they are motivated, but none of them have the athleticism it also takes to get to the top and that's OK). A life lesson in handling burnout in middle school is not what I have in mind. It's more like teamwork, sportsmanship, the fact that when you put in hard work you improve but the improvement isn't linear, and resilience. If our kids burn out from being pushed they're going to remember that, not the positive mental skills.

Burned out kids also realize they're not the best and they don't want to put in the work to get better because it's not their passion. I don't think truly talented kids burn out just because. You can't force them by sheer will to not "burn out" they know they don't have what it takes. Let them come to that conclusion with grace.

PP here. I think we're defining burnout differently. I'm thinking of how it's defined when it's articles directed at adults about how to deal with feeling completely harried, stressed, and crazy. If I pushed my kids too hard compared to their passion level, that's how they'd get - harried, stressed, and crazy. It would be bad parenting.

You (and any other PPs agreeing with you) are simply talking about kids who come to a natural conclusion that it's time to be done with their sport. I expect mine will all do that before college, possibly before middle school even. That would be fine. They'll pick something else to do. But if they come to that point because they feel overwhelmed by the amount of their sport that I am pushing on them, that's a problem.

And that's what I mean by be careful. Don't be more passionate about the sport than your kid is.

I really don't buy that kids who love the sport can be burned out by the parents. Do you really think that happens that often? I think its pretty obvious those kids were never going to make it anyway and the parents get scapegoated. "I could have been great! I was the best they had ever seen! But my parents were annoying about it so I quit."

Sure, that makes sense. My initial "be careful" (because that was me) was to the poster who was talking about her 5 year old. Pushing your 5 year old who doesn't even really know if they love the sport yet into hours of private lessons is the kind of thing I was talking about.

I even know a middle schooler who does private lessons for her sport but never practices outside of team practices and private lessons. She says she loves the sport but...does she really? Are those lessons really worth it?

I'm not talking about a kid who literally drags their parents out to watch them go through reps or toss a ball around or something.

What is it hurting if a kid does private lessons on the side for a sport they like? If the kid reaches a point where they say "I'm done", then so what?