Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He constantly complains about what seem like relatively minor contact injuries. He complains that he is too small and gets pushed around. He is almost always in a bad mood and exhausted after games and practices. He says he absolutely doesn't want to quit travel soccer, but he doesn't seem to be having fun.

This is called growing up. It will get worse for a few years. It generally bottoms out around 14-15 by which age you won't actually remember what a conversation with your son is like because he will communicate (at least with you) entirely in dissatisfied grunts. And then it will start to get better again.

Not OP but man, this is so true. I hope it starts getting better in a year or two because my wife is going to lose her mind. : )

Sounds like he wants to quit but doesn't want to tell or disappoint you. Find another activity. Swimming?

Maybe, but I am not sure why he would feel that way. I don't care if he quits travel after this year. I expect him to finish what we have paid for, but he doesn't have to do it again.

He constantly complains about what seem like relatively minor contact injuries. He complains that he is too small and gets pushed around. He is almost always in a bad mood and exhausted after games and practices. He says he absolutely doesn't want to quit travel soccer, but he doesn't seem to be having fun.


This is called growing up. It will get worse for a few years. It generally bottoms out around 14-15 by which age you won't actually remember what a conversation with your son is like because he will communicate (at least with you) entirely in dissatisfied grunts. And then it will start to get better again.

OP here. This is hilarious.

Sounds like he wants to quit but doesn't want to tell or disappoint you. Find another activity. Swimming?

Anonymous wrote: ...The Clubs that laud and fawn over certain kids only on their team are the worst. A Coach sets the tone on how a 'team' comes together.

moment everyone truly realizes obsession

Anonymous wrote:He constantly complains about what seem like relatively minor contact injuries. He complains that he is too small and gets pushed around. He is almost always in a bad mood and exhausted after games and practices. He says he absolutely doesn't want to quit travel soccer, but he doesn't seem to be having fun.

This is called growing up. It will get worse for a few years. It generally bottoms out around 14-15 by which age you won't actually remember what a conversation with your son is like because he will communicate (at least with you) entirely in dissatisfied grunts. And then it will start to get better again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Send the coach a note and ask if he is available for a quick call to discuss. Is your player motivated and engaged during practice? Is your child fitting in with teammates, or are there some clicks on the team that may be excluding him. I've coached and have seen this many times. Some players will form a click and shun certain players.

He may enjoy playing soccer, but may be having problems with the team. You can, also, go to a practice and watch from a distance to see if there is a challenging dynamic with your child and some teammates.

This is great advice

Yes, good advice. Sometimes this forum can actually be useful.

Sounds similar to my son. Started to lose interest at 12 after three years of mid level travel. For him, he just wasn’t as serious about soccer as the other kids on the team. That’s about the age when sports can become more work than just play. Some are more dedicated to soccer than others and that’s the age when kids are discovering where their passions lie. I made him finish out the season and now he’s playing rec flag football and loving it. He likes the play and teammate aspects but not serious competition. He might give soccer another try next year in high school when it’s with his school friends instead of travel team. It’s fairly common for kids to lose interest in sports at that age.

Had this issue with my son around this age.

He was playing up in rec so on bigger field. He played both goalie and in the field and preferred the latter. But he wasn't a starter in field and he was a good goalie but was bored.

He took the fall off that year and played only flag football instead of both. He can back in spring after basketball season and has loved it since. Now plays travel exclusively.