Kids sports

Is it just me, or are kids sports starting to get out of hand?? My 8 year old just wants to play soccer for fun, well because she is “older” she has to join a travel team in our league that is super expensive and a big time commitment. She wants to play lacrosse because some of her friends do, the moms told me I better sign her up for camps this summer or she won’t make the team. She is 8...why are there try outs at 8??? I feel like I already spend so much of my time on just her sports, I don’t know what I am going to do when my younger one starts playing more sports. I can’t tell you how many times I try to make play dates and the other kids have sports almost every day and weekend, I’m terrified of what is to come (time and money). It just seems so different compared to when I was growing up. Every sport had a season, none of this all year stuff and multiple teams and camps.

Re: Kids sports

Yep!!

Couldnt agree with you more!!

Kids sports

Yup there are 6 year old twin girls that live across the street from us, between their dance class, softball and soccer they are not home every night until at least 9 and are gone by 7 am each weekend day I talk to my neighbor frequently and it’s always a complaint I can’t imagine! My twins better pick one sport and that’s it! Ugh!!

Re: Kids sports

I agree, but we do have a big rec league in our area. You can also do travel, but my 9 year old DS does rec. My friend's son was in travel and said it got out of hand and was a fortune.
They also have a rec basketball he plays and other side sport places around here you can pay to learn more about the sport. Like your DD my DS just wants to play for fun.

Re: Kids sports

I agree. I feel like saying- are you planning on this kids going pro when they grow up? Are they currently training for the Olympics?
If not, why is this such a priority?

I couldn't do it. Not at this age. At this young age it should be for fun. That's it.

Maybe it's selfish, but I work full time and have very little down time. My weekends are MINE.
She goes to gymnastics for an hour on Saturday morning and even that we stop in the summer. The beach takes priority. The summer is too short.

I'm so glad my DD is just like her mama and the most nonathletic person on the planet with zero interest in team sports!

Message edited 6/6/2018 9:59:52 AM.

Re: Kids sports

Oh my Jesus this is my life ,lol

So my SO coaches our boys in little league. They are in the 'senior minor' division. My son HAS played travel and it's not for us.

So my SO harps on the boys to swing the bat, my DS isn't great with batting, but he is a very good fielder.

Last night my SO was ranting (lol and he's usually very level headed) about what my DS will do after he ages out (winter 2020) and I said he will probably stop playing. Oh well. He had a good run, lol. He will maybe play in a rec league or softball team one day.

It's all good. My kid isn't a superstar, and we're good with that. He just plays to, gasp, have fun.

Re: Kids sports

Re: Kids sports

my kid is a lot older (cough, an adult), but i went through it too.

i signed him up for soccer to have fun and get out of the house. he was 4!!!! it was supposed to be "jungle ball": a bunch of little boys chasing a ball, some sunlight on the weekends, and maybe making friends.

it was crazy!
about three weeks into it, he told me he didn't want to play any more because he wasn't having fun.

out he went!

he didn't play team sports again until he was in high school. he wanted to be on the cross country team.

so happy that was a bullet i dodged.

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As a non-athletic mom I never thought I'd be spending weekends on fields and traveling for sports with my kids. However my older daughter loves soccer and is currently on a travel team. We delayed starting with travel and she told me she loved it so much and regretted not doing it sooner. I couldn't imagine not letting her follow her passion.

My girls are involved in various activities, soccer, dance gymnastics, deck hockey. I prefer for them to be active rather than sitting home on ipods (which I know would be alternative). As of now and most likely going forward only 1 is travel.

Re: Kids sports

Posted by NervousNell

Posted by Straightarrow

Oh my Jesus this is my life ,lol

So my SO coaches our boys in little league. They are in the 'senior minor' division. My son HAS played travel and it's not for us.

So my SO harps on the boys to swing the bat, my DS isn't great with batting, but he is a very good fielder.

Last night my SO was ranting (lol and he's usually very level headed) about what my DS will do after he ages out (winter 2020) and I said he will probably stop playing. Oh well. He had a good run, lol. He will maybe play in a rec league or softball team one day.

It's all good. My kid isn't a superstar, and we're good with that. He just plays to, gasp, have fun.

LOL. What will he do when he ages out... that's awesome.
Not every kid is going to be Derek Jeter. In fact a very minuscule percentage will ever have a career in sports.
And that's ok.

Re: Kids sports

It has become INSANE!

Re: Kids sports

In the sports that my kids play, my town has rec and different levels for kids who want to play for fun and kids who want to play on a more competitive level. It is hard to balance everything, especially during the week and with multiple kids in activities. We carpool sometimes, which helps, but I find some of the practice times tough to make for working parents.

My kids are very active. My 9 year old plays travel hockey, travel soccer and baseball. He also plays piano. My 5 year old plays hockey and soccer. They’re both athletic and love sports. I don’t expect them to make careers out of it or anything, but I want them to be active and participate in as many things as they love. Our nights and weekends are hectic and I wish we had some more free time. However, they’re happy playing on the teams and they’ve made great friends. I also think playing team sports teaches them certain values and lessons beyond the game. My kids also know that school comes first though.

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My son is 9 and plays a lot of sports. Some are recreational and some are more competitive. But there are options for kids of all skill levels and for all price points/commitment levels. It certainly is a lot more intense than when I was young, but there are still less intense options.

Baseball is probably is most serious sport. He plays the local little league, for the spring rec season, but his little league also has a travel team that plays more competitively in summer and fall, and then does a winter work out. However, at this age, the "travel" is local (other LI towns). They do have to be invited to make the team based on how they perform in the spring season. There is an "A" team and a "B" team, each has 12 players, and it's fairly inexpensive (a few hundred dollars). It started in 8u and my DS played last year and will play this year.

There are other private travel teams at this level that cost $5K. I really couldn't see doing that now at this age. He likes playing with his local friends and it's a step up from recreational leagues but not insane. Kids on his little league teams that don't make the travel team can play in the little league summer/fall little league teams or play summer PAL baseball.

My DS plays lax via PAL - they do have a tournament team, too, that he participates in. But it's still fairly instructional and the coaches aren't all about winning.

The basketball league we do is very low-key, and he also plays flag football in the fall, which is totally just for fun.

I think the issue with certain sports is that if your child is a good player, there can be pressure (overt or subtle) to step up to more competitive travel teams because that's where the "good" players play, and where you get better instruction (so they say). But whether that is a good fit really depends on the family and the kid.

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I think it has become this way with everything...birthday parties, communions, graduations...it's all over the top. We aren't a "sports" family except for swim team, which isn't too crazy yet, but my daughter dance competitively, and it is a huge expensive commitment.

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Sports have always been competitive. Hence the uproar with participation trophies. I think now it’s more saturated and everyone signing their kids up so it’s a lot more competitive.

My son used to do rec center sports, and I had him all over. He would show up and have fun running around but never caught to anything to point where I thought he would take it seriously. First dance was cut, then basketball, soccer and last was babseball when he was in the dugout not paying attention at all, hitting himself in the head with the bat. Lol

The only thing left is Kung Fu. My nieces play soccer on the travel team and it’s competitive and a lot of work.

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Kids sports

My DH started playing travel soccer at 6. This was in 1992, so not new. My BIL played on multiple basketball leagues before he was 10. I rarely hear a childhood story that does not involve sports. My FIL recently retired from coaching kids basketball after 30+ years and has said sports have gotten less competitive over the years.

Our 2.5 year old is starting soccer next month. She is already in dance and swimming. Are we crazy? Maybe. But I like having her in activities because I don't have the energy or creativity to figure out what to do with her every weekend. She's an only child and we don't have family nearby. I can only spend so much time at the park or children's museum. So activities it is. She can decide when she's older if she wants to keep doing them.

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DS is 12. He tried different sports when growing up, but it was always his call. He tried soccer, tennis, golf, hockey and he settled with baseball about a year ago. And yes, it is crazy. He is in 3 teams (little league, school and travel), but he enjoys it and has fun. And for me, it is better than having him at home playing fortnite. His grades haven't been affected and that was my main concern because 7th grade is critical for HS applications (public school). The whole week is crazy (well, now it has decreased because season is almost over), but I really feel he benefits a lot from sports. We feel that, as long as he has fun, we will support him, knowing he will never be a professional baseball player... and that's the attitude we have and he also does, so we are not competitive and crazy as I see other parents are.

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It is much different and much more competitive (and expensive) then 20-30 years ago. There are still inexpensive local town recreational leagues you can join for "fun" but if you are a good player and want to be competitive, you are going to join a private travel league and pay $$$.

I must have said for years that I would NEVER do that but here I am doing it every weekend and I really love it. Sports have been great for my son - it has helped him make new friends, stay active, and keeps him out of trouble from being "bored" or a video game zombie.

I hate when people say "oh you think your son is going to the MLB" or statements like that. No, I don't actually think that. But, I do think that if he keeps training and learning and playing competitively with good coaches in good leagues, there is a greater chance for him to be exposed to the kind of coaches and experiences that MAY earn him some college money. And if not, the experiences we have had have been exciting and some people we have met have been wonderful.

Kids sports

We were quoted $4K for my 5 year old to join a cheer team. We went with the $200 one. $4K is not in my budget and I have no desire to drag her around.

Re: Kids sports