Why do parents force kids play a sport that they don’t want to?

[Anonymous]

In the last 3 years in my kid’s baseball teams, there are always parents saying that their kids prefer to play soccer/football/other sports. Their kids find baseball boring. These are mostly 8 and 9 years old kids and why do parents do this? Why cannot they just let their kids pick the sports they enjoy?

[Anonymous]

Probably to prepare these kids for the reality of life:

Life isn't always fair
Life isn't always fun
Sometimes in life you have to do what the (bleep) you're told and shut the hell up.

[Anonymous]

It is really healthy - especially for developing bodies - to not overstress the same muscles. Having experiences outside of soccer is healthy.

For kids at age 8/9 who prefer football, the parent is probably praying that something else clicks for the kid as they would prefer for their child not to play the sport.

[Anonymous]

Because some parents are crazy.

I get PPS point, but there are better ways to go about those lessons. Kids can't quit midseason and have to continue to put full effort into it, but why sign them up again next year?

[Anonymous]

Because at age 10, every boy is Bryce Harper and every girl is Jennie Finch. At least according to Mom and Dad.

[Anonymous]

There are so many reasons, OP.... okay... off the top of my head...

How do you know the child didn't in fact pick the sport? Sometimes a child wants to sign up and then is bored and the parents makes the child finish the season to teach the values of honoring commitments/finishing a job/thinking carefully before making a decision, and so on.

How do you know the child isn't nervous or anxious--expressing these as boredom or unhappiness with the sport--and the parent is trying to help child overcome it. We had to do this with every single activity with one of my children for YEARS--almost as a form of therapy--until he was able to get enjoyment out of anything.

How do you know the parents don't believe that the child will eventually love the sport? One of my kids spent his first two seasons of soccer playing in the dirt and now he is obsessed and plays travel. I don't even mean that he is exceptional or will play division 1 but rather that we waited him out and it became his passion.

How do you know the child would choose anything else?Maybe the parents believe in some form of physical activity and are trying to see what sticks. Maybe the child needs a different group of friends and the parents are seeing what works.

I know that there are some crazy parents out there but most of us are trying to raise healthy, balanced kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are so many reasons, OP.... okay... off the top of my head...

How do you know the child didn't in fact pick the sport? Sometimes a child wants to sign up and then is bored and the parents makes the child finish the season to teach the values of honoring commitments/finishing a job/thinking carefully before making a decision, and so on.

How do you know the child isn't nervous or anxious--expressing these as boredom or unhappiness with the sport--and the parent is trying to help child overcome it. We had to do this with every single activity with one of my children for YEARS--almost as a form of therapy--until he was able to get enjoyment out of anything.

How do you know the parents don't believe that the child will eventually love the sport? One of my kids spent his first two seasons of soccer playing in the dirt and now he is obsessed and plays travel. I don't even mean that he is exceptional or will play division 1 but rather that we waited him out and it became his passion.

How do you know the child would choose anything else?Maybe the parents believe in some form of physical activity and are trying to see what sticks. Maybe the child needs a different group of friends and the parents are seeing what works.

I know that there are some crazy parents out there but most of us are trying to raise healthy, balanced kids!

+100 this

[Anonymous]

Because DS loved baseball over the summer, begged to be signed up for fall ball, and then wanted to quit. My response, No, you committed to a team for the year. He will play through the spring, and then he can decide whether he wants to recommit another year.

Frankly, I am annoyed at parents who don't follow through on commitments and just allow their kids to drop out. It is a major hassle for teams that don't have much wiggle room on their rosters.

[Anonymous]

Because at 8 or 9 it can take a few games and practices before a kid decides what they like and they might beg to sign up and then lose interest.

Another reason - the parents like the social outlet for a certain sport or team for themselves.

[Anonymous]

ITT: lots of rationalizing.

Sure, make the kid finish the season, but what OP is talking about is another level above that. Don't pretend it doesn't happen, or that it isn't wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because DS loved baseball over the summer, begged to be signed up for fall ball, and then wanted to quit. My response, No, you committed to a team for the year. He will play through the spring, and then he can decide whether he wants to recommit another year.

Frankly, I am annoyed at parents who don't follow through on commitments and just allow their kids to drop out. It is a major hassle for teams that don't have much wiggle room on their rosters.

The correct thing to do would have been to make him finish the season. A year's committment is more than a child can understand. You dun goofed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because DS loved baseball over the summer, begged to be signed up for fall ball, and then wanted to quit. My response, No, you committed to a team for the year. He will play through the spring, and then he can decide whether he wants to recommit another year.

Frankly, I am annoyed at parents who don't follow through on commitments and just allow their kids to drop out. It is a major hassle for teams that don't have much wiggle room on their rosters.

The correct thing to do would have been to make him finish the season. A year's committment is more than a child can understand. You dun goofed.

No, he's old enough to understand that a year's commitment. I don't know how old your kid is, but once you're past t-ball and get recruited at try-outs for AAA and majors teams, it is a pretty big deal to leave before the spring season. Fall ball is understood as practice for the real season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

How do you know the child isn't nervous or anxious--expressing these as boredom or unhappiness with the sport--and the parent is trying to help child overcome it. We had to do this with every single activity with one of my children for YEARS--almost as a form of therapy--until he was able to get enjoyment out of anything.

Thank you for this one. We are here with my second kid, and it's such a challenge. He asks to play soccer every season, is really excited to play in the week leading up to a game, and then seizes up with anxiety when we actually show up to a game. I'm sure other parents think we are pressuring our kid to do something he doesn't want to do, but that's not what's going on. We're actually doing what he has said he wants to do and also trying to help him to learn to be brave and resilient in these types of situations.

PP...you've given me hope!! Thank you!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In the last 3 years in my kid’s baseball teams, there are always parents saying that their kids prefer to play soccer/football/other sports. Their kids find baseball boring. These are mostly 8 and 9 years old kids and why do parents do this? Why cannot they just let their kids pick the sports they enjoy?

So for the last 3 years - would mean you are talking about 5 and 6 year olds.

Guess what - baseball is boring for 5 and 6 year olds.
and 7 and 8 year olds.

Most kids do not have the coordination to play a sport like baseball until 9 or 10. At that point in time they have a lot of fun.

[Anonymous]

Family friends have their kids do the same sports because it's convenient timing-wise so the younger one does end up playing sports that the older one wants to do.