There are very well established protocols for concussions these days and it is obviously something to be taken seriously. Whether it merits withdrawing from the sport will depend on many factors and probably should not be based on the thoughts of DCUM posters. What I really wanted to add is that the idea that an 8th grader playing varsity is on his way to a college scholarship is the kind of mentality that is seriously harming youth athletics and children, and that is how they will get hurt. That is crazy talk, particularly from people who do not even know what sport they are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get a concussion playing any sport but clearly some sports are much more of a risk. I would have no trouble letting my DC run if they've had several concussions because its very unlikely to happen during running and the benefits far outweigh the risks.

I understand your viewpoint for your specific child, but it is different for a child that is passionate for a sport, plays at the varsity level in 8th grade and will more than likely play in college and possibly beyond.

Do you have a child like that? Do you understand what that entails?

I have children who are like that in music and performing arts. They are extremely talented. They would love to start professional careers right NOW. The answer is "No." I don't need a Justin Bieber/Lindsey Lohan/Britney Spears on my hands in 10 years.

Grow up. Be a fucking parent. Say "no."

So you have actually taken away their instruments so they can have more screen time and/or go out and play with kids to have a more normal childhood? How long did you take their instrument away?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can get a concussion playing any sport but clearly some sports are much more of a risk. I would have no trouble letting my DC run if they've had several concussions because its very unlikely to happen during running and the benefits far outweigh the risks.

I understand your viewpoint for your specific child, but it is different for a child that is passionate for a sport, plays at the varsity level in 8th grade and will more than likely play in college and possibly beyond.

Do you have a child like that? Do you understand what that entails?

I have children who are like that in music and performing arts. They are extremely talented. They would love to start professional careers right NOW. The answer is "No." I don't need a Justin Bieber/Lindsey Lohan/Britney Spears on my hands in 10 years.

Grow up. Be a fucking parent. Say "no."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ironically, my husband and I had a conversation about sports during the Super Bowl. And we agree that there will be no contact sports for my kid. The one thing we agree on.

That may be a hard rule to enforce. Soccer, lacrosse, football baseball, hockey, wrestling, field hockey, basketball... All contact sports. As are martial arts. You can ban some, but if the gods give you a certain kind of kid, it is really hard to ban all.

DD's teammate got a concussion playing volleyball. So vball's out.

Don't be an ass. Certain sports are more risky than others. You make your decisions based on risk. Volleyball is low risk and you know it.

Martial arts are also pretty low risk. Kids don't spar at full strength in TKD or karate and would be reprimanded if they found hard enough to cause a concussion. Kids shouldn't be doing MMA at all.

I don't know much about wrestling, but it also seems pretty low risk to me. I'd have to research it, if my kid wanted to wrestle.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/02/03/269521744/young-athletes-risk-back-injury-by-playing-too-much-too-soon

It isn't just concussions. Parent of Travel Soccer player here. Very good, but no D1 Future.

Youth sports are out of control in many way. Young children of talent should not be getting stress fractures. Yes, such children will get concussions - more than their parents would like, but they will get some. In travel, and in rec. Their coaches should be taking steps to keep them safe (i.e. teaching children how to protect their heads when landing, discouraging heading when a better idea would be getting the ball to drop to your feet since ping ponging the ball isn't good for their heads or for the win, letting them feel comfortable saying "I need to sit out for a while")

However, there is great joy to be had for the children, and wonderful opportunities to shine and excel and learn. Telling your kid "no sports for you" isn't the answer. Nor is "just play rec" since the dad-coached relaxed pace doesn't work for our kids, either. Nor is too many practices at too serious a level with too many tournaments.

Anonymous wrote:You can get a concussion playing any sport but clearly some sports are much more of a risk. I would have no trouble letting my DC run if they've had several concussions because its very unlikely to happen during running and the benefits far outweigh the risks.

I understand your viewpoint for your specific child, but it is different for a child that is passionate for a sport, plays at the varsity level in 8th grade and will more than likely play in college and possibly beyond.

Do you have a child like that? Do you understand what that entails?

You can get a concussion playing any sport but clearly some sports are much more of a risk. I would have no trouble letting my DC run if they've had several concussions because its very unlikely to happen during running and the benefits far outweigh the risks.

I know kids who have gotten concussions playing:

Basketball
Baseball
Softball
Volleyball
Football
Lacrosse
Soccer
Tennis

Also:

Running
Biking
Riding a scooter
Skiing

I wouldn't ban any sport outright...until my kid got a concussion...then it would be time to take a break from all sports to heal (ie: skip the rest of the season).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ironically, my husband and I had a conversation about sports during the Super Bowl. And we agree that there will be no contact sports for my kid. The one thing we agree on.

That may be a hard rule to enforce. Soccer, lacrosse, football baseball, hockey, wrestling, field hockey, basketball... All contact sports. As are martial arts. You can ban some, but if the gods give you a certain kind of kid, it is really hard to ban all.

DD's teammate got a concussion playing volleyball. So vball's out.

You have to make the tough call to stop. You already have 2 concussions, that you're aware of, in middle school. What happens if he continues when he's older and you aren't necessarily around and the coaches maybe aren't as careful? Too many highschoolers hide what they think are minor injuries. Don't waver - explain that you're the parent, you're concerned for his health, and your decision stands.

Wow, 2 concussions in 1 year. My understanding is that it is multiple concussions or concussions while recovering from a concussion that is really dangerous. Two concussions would be a real warning sign for me.

My DS plays hockey and I have been thinking about how to handle this situation. I am wondering what I would do with 1 concussion, but I suppose I would have to see how severe or mild it is. We have a kid on the team that got a concussion outside of our sport, he sat, and now seems fine.

This all said, it would be a real blow to my son to stop. A lot of his identity is wrapped up in his sport. It's hard to just turn that off overnight. I have been keeping him in music and one other sport (at a lower level) as a fallback. I also talk about cross country a lot. Still, he would be devastated if I pulled the plug. All of that training and skill development spent on this sport. This is not an easy situation, so I understand the OP wanted all the information available. In the end, though, you might have to make the tough call.

Anonymous wrote:Ironically, my husband and I had a conversation about sports during the Super Bowl. And we agree that there will be no contact sports for my kid. The one thing we agree on.

OP, there is so much going on about this in the news please educate yourself. Your child's future is at stake.

That may be a hard rule to enforce. Soccer, lacrosse, football baseball, hockey, wrestling, field hockey, basketball... All contact sports. As are martial arts. You can ban some, but if the gods give you a certain kind of kid, it is really hard to ban all.

I don't think coaches even care if kids get hurt or not. They just want to "win."

Ironically, my husband and I had a conversation about sports during the Super Bowl. And we agree that there will be no contact sports for my kid. The one thing we agree on.

OP, there is so much going on about this in the news please educate yourself. Your child's future is at stake.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Where are 8th graders and HS kids even in the same school?

I agree 2 concussions is too many.

Nowhere public. However, it is not uncommon for 8th graders to be allowed to play on the high school teams in sports where the middle school doesn't have one. In Arlington, that includes baseball, cross country and a few other sports.

What I would say to the OP is the following (should she ever come back):

Sift through these posts. Those of us who identified ourselves as having dealt with concussions in our athletic children, or having serious athletes in our households, or otherwise have experience with athletic children this age are all singing the same song:
a) see a professional to treat this concussion, and not just a GP.
b) treat this very, very seriously.
c) if the doctor says "out" that means practice, too.

A second injury to a concussed head can be life-ruining.

Agree with a lot of PPs here. Everytime you're tempted to waiver subsitute "traumatic brain injury" for concussion since that's what it really is.