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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]To the people replying “sports,” are you envisioning your children being professional athletes one day or just competitive travel athlete that gets recruited to DIII they could have gotten into anyway?[/quote]

My husband and I both have graduate degrees and we excelled at academics. However, I highly value sports, as well as academics. It is absolutely not because I want my kids to be professional athletes.

A person with average intelligence and a college degree can get a job and be successful. So what does sports offer?

My kids are learning to fail. They are competitive swimmers and often don't achieve their goals. They learn that if they fail, they can be sad for a while, but they must pick themselves up and keep going.

They learn to work with others. Swimming is more of an individual sport (with some relays), but they are part of a team. When someone is down they are learning to support that teammate.

Physical activity is excellent for mental health and anxiety. Also, as teenagers, they can't get mixed up with drugs or alcohol, as that will affect their performance.

We also value academics, but being a healthy successful person involves body and mind. One is not more important that the other. Remember that we evolved to be physical animals. We were not meant to sit still all day with our head in the books.

Ultimately, my kids are doing reasonably well at both. They will never be professional athletes, and they are no Einsteins, but they have a nice balance. They are happy, social, physically fit, and educated.

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So, if you answered OP’s Q, what would you say?
[/quote]

I would say academics, physical activity (it doesn't have to be sports, it could be dance or hiking or leisurely bike rides), good sleep hygiene, good nutrition, and strong social ties support the development of a healthy adult. They are all important.[/quote]

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