Are we putting too much pressure on our kids?
Sports for our kids are no longer just the extra curricular activity it used to be. It’s trending more towards becoming similar to professional sports.
While parents are cutting their spending on certain things, they are not cutting back on sports for their kids. There are some 50,000 youth basketball leagues, 40,000 tournaments a year; some with championships for boys and girls under 8. Therapist Mary Jo Rapini tells KTRH too many parents are trying to recapture their youth.
“A lot of parents, if they didn’t achieve what they wanted, a child for them is a legacy for them to fulfill their dream’” she explained.
Rapini says parents can get carried away with what their kids can do athletically.
“Nobody can commit to a sport when their in the 7th grade without having burnout,” Rapini said.
Katy area youth football coach Alan Litvak told KTRH that he has seen parents put a lot of pressure on kids, and that it's too much for any child to handle.
“Everybody wants their kid to be that kid. Sadly, not only can not every kid be that kid, but few kids can really be that kid,” Litvak said.
Litvak says the whole point of youth sports is being lost.
“Instead of building up self esteem it can tear it down. Instead of teaching them life skills like being part of a team, it does just the opposite. Kids are being promoted individually,” Litvak explained.
There is a mixed message from big time college sports for parents. The NCAA says a player can be considered a prospect in 7th grade.
And over the summer, the University of Washington received an oral commitment from 14-year old quarterback prospect Tate Martell.
