Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 13:25     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I never left my kids for practice. The coach was there to coach, not to be an unpaid babysitter.



Please tell me your kid never played, say, school sports then. I guess since you said "unpaid," then no.


If you don't see the difference between high school sports teams and 5 year olds, there's no point having a conversation with you.


As a parent of teenagers, I always find it bizarre when people ask where parents transition from one thing to another and parents of young children declare they will never do so.

As someone with 3 multi-sport high school athletes, one of whom will soon be a college athlete, I can tell you that if your kid does not stop playing, at some point you will stop staying at every practice in case they need the bathroom. So, never is a ridiculous answer.

Is there a difference between 5 year olds and varsity athletes? Of course, but that difference comes over years of gradual growth. Which is why the OP asks the question, when is it reasonable to leave them?
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 13:13     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:Feel free to mind your own business, OP.


+1

While I wouldn't leave a 5 or 6 year old, he didn't leave him tied to the railroad tracks - he's with a safe adult. MYOB. If the coach has a problem with it, they'll deal with it.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 13:08     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Swim and gymnastics we weren’t allowed to stay (especially post Covid). So my kids were 7 when I was dropping off there, but those are paid coaches.

Rec soccer, after I got to know the coach, I would sometimes leave starting at age 5/6 if I had to run another kid somewhere, but my son is awesome about direction following and again, I knew the coach

Once my son was on pre-travel they asked the parents to leave. I stayed in my car until I knew how everything was run and knew my son had my number memorized, he was 7.

Dance- I only stayed when class was an hour, because it didn’t make sense to leave and come back.

I can’t think of a single time my kids needed me in any of those practices except for injuries in gymnastics. In which case, coaches called and we came and picked up (or not if she was fine).

If a rec coach needs parents to stay, they should absolutely tell parents that, because unless my kid is out of control, I would assume they have it handled. (Or I would offer to volunteer if there was no co-coach! I think two coaches is the minimum).


Solo coach of rec soccer here with a roster of 14 kids age 6-7. No, every organization does not have more than one coach.


Oh interesting- all of my kids rec teams had at least two coaches. And if one of them was not at a practice for whatever reason, they would ask for another parent's help. If it is just one adult, that changes everything- no way would I leave in that case


Wow, that is a lot for the league to put on one person. Thank you for doing that PP, I hope the parents appreciate you.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 13:07     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
My kids are 10 and 8 and I still go in to their swim practice. It's at a busy public rec center and they have to walk a decent ways from the drop off area to the pool. The pool is open for open swim, other teams, and lessons at that time. They are also navigating a public locker room.

I do not sit there and watch - I usually the gym - but I do not leave the building and walk to the deck with them to ensure they get capped up etc and at the end, come into the pool to hustle them along to get ready to leave.

I am in the minority of parents of kids their age (at least for DC10) but I observe some pretty obnoxious behavior from their peers that I believe wouldn't occur if adults were there. I also end up taking care of kids who are not mine but that I know for things like lost goggles, bloody nose, can't find their parent and need to call them, so and so called me a name and now I am crying, at least once a week.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:57     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Swim and gymnastics we weren’t allowed to stay (especially post Covid). So my kids were 7 when I was dropping off there, but those are paid coaches.

Rec soccer, after I got to know the coach, I would sometimes leave starting at age 5/6 if I had to run another kid somewhere, but my son is awesome about direction following and again, I knew the coach

Once my son was on pre-travel they asked the parents to leave. I stayed in my car until I knew how everything was run and knew my son had my number memorized, he was 7.

Dance- I only stayed when class was an hour, because it didn’t make sense to leave and come back.

I can’t think of a single time my kids needed me in any of those practices except for injuries in gymnastics. In which case, coaches called and we came and picked up (or not if she was fine).

If a rec coach needs parents to stay, they should absolutely tell parents that, because unless my kid is out of control, I would assume they have it handled. (Or I would offer to volunteer if there was no co-coach! I think two coaches is the minimum).


Solo coach of rec soccer here with a roster of 14 kids age 6-7. No, every organization does not have more than one coach.


Oh interesting- all of my kids rec teams had at least two coaches. And if one of them was not at a practice for whatever reason, they would ask for another parent's help. If it is just one adult, that changes everything- no way would I leave in that case
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:47     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
When my kids were that age, they could barely get one adult willing to coach, let alone two!
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:46     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I never left my kids for practice. The coach was there to coach, not to be an unpaid babysitter.



Please tell me your kid never played, say, school sports then. I guess since you said "unpaid," then no.


If you don't see the difference between high school sports teams and 5 year olds, there's no point having a conversation with you.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:45     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:Some parents aren't great parents. Let's put it this way.



Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:44     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I never left my kids for practice. The coach was there to coach, not to be an unpaid babysitter.



Please tell me your kid never played, say, school sports then. I guess since you said "unpaid," then no.


Are you even educated?
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:44     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Some parents aren't great parents. Let's put it this way.

Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 12:42     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:At what age did you start loading the car up with baskets of clean laundry to fold while you watch a movie in the car in the parking lot of the evnt? I dreamed of doing this but never did.


If not for the excessive amount of tree pollen, I’d 100% take this suggestion! (I’m imagining sitting on the back of my SUV w the back open, though I guess I could fold with it closed. Seems vaguely claustrophobic tho)
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 09:40     Subject: Re:What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
I started this year. Soccer practice is at my kid's school (with a paid coach) and he can ride his bike bach and forth. For baseball practice, there are several kids in the neighborhood so we carpool because practices are a bit farther away. I stay for the day I drive because I would just have to turn around and come back but I stay in the car reading while practice is going on. On the other day another parent takes the kids and sometimes stays to help and on other days one parent takes the group and another picks them up. These are 3rd and 4th graders who are more focused. My kid listens way better to his coach than he does to me when I tell him it's time to go home.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 09:37     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
My DD is 13. I usually stick around because I have nowhere else to go. Sometimes I shag balls so the girls can focus on drills and keep the court clear of volleyballs that can cause injury. I also get my steps in for the day.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 09:33     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:I never left my kids for practice. The coach was there to coach, not to be an unpaid babysitter.



Please tell me your kid never played, say, school sports then. I guess since you said "unpaid," then no.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2026 09:29     Subject: What age did you stop staying for kids practices?
Anonymous wrote:Swim and gymnastics we weren’t allowed to stay (especially post Covid). So my kids were 7 when I was dropping off there, but those are paid coaches.

Rec soccer, after I got to know the coach, I would sometimes leave starting at age 5/6 if I had to run another kid somewhere, but my son is awesome about direction following and again, I knew the coach

Once my son was on pre-travel they asked the parents to leave. I stayed in my car until I knew how everything was run and knew my son had my number memorized, he was 7.

Dance- I only stayed when class was an hour, because it didn’t make sense to leave and come back.

I can’t think of a single time my kids needed me in any of those practices except for injuries in gymnastics. In which case, coaches called and we came and picked up (or not if she was fine).

If a rec coach needs parents to stay, they should absolutely tell parents that, because unless my kid is out of control, I would assume they have it handled. (Or I would offer to volunteer if there was no co-coach! I think two coaches is the minimum).


Solo coach of rec soccer here with a roster of 14 kids age 6-7. No, every organization does not have more than one coach.