Just finished watching a segment on HBO's Real Sports program about parents pushing their children to get involved with sports at younger and younger ages. There was this one father who was shown coaching his 6-year old son at a wrestling tournament... yelling at him from the side of the mat and giving him instruction prior to a match... he reminded me of the evil sensei in Karate Kid... you know, the whole "mercy is for the weak" type of a guy. I would not have much of a problem with this, except that his kid was 6 years old. Get a grip, buddy! Brings to mind those disturbing Pageant Parents who get some kind of vicarious thrill by parading their pre-pubescent children around on a stage dolled up like miniature adults.
The segment then proceeded to inform the viewers that some parents are looking for a competitive edge for their children even earlier than six... cue the footage of parents swabbing their children's mouths for DNA samples so that a lab can analyze them and produce a report detailing which sports the children might excel at. Ughhh!!!!! This news has an amost Orwellian tinge to it. Suffice it to say, I got chills. What is the next logical step for these people? Maybe genetically engineering their children to be predisposed towards a particular activity?
Come on now, people. What about the value of kids just being kids? Missing from this doumentary and other similar ones is any sign of joy from the children participating. It is pretty clear to me (and, I believe, to any fair-minded viewer) that these children are only involved because they want to please their parents. Invariably, when the cameras show close-ups of these kids, there is nary a smile to be found. In our society, in this day and age, kids grow up fast... in many ways faster than ever before. Why would we do anything to accelerate the process? Many adults spend large portions of their lives trying to recapture the essence of their childhood, but at the same time, these same adults try to rush their children through those very years. I don't see the logic in it.
Sure, there is a value to organized activites, but a five year old does not need to be involved in 4 different activities, does not need to be coached as if competing for a championship. This is a time to teach critical game fundamentals (rules of the game, sportsmanship, teamwork). Let the child decide if he or she wants to play a sport. And let's remember who is the parent as well. If a kid wants to participate in too many activities, set some boundaries. Again, they are children, and in most cases do not necessarily know what is best for them.
Young kids need free play as much as they need organized activities (if not more), and it is critical that we as parents strike a balance for them. Free play helps develop their imagination, teaches them about social interaction, and is just plain fun. They are children... not everything they do has to serve some grander purpose. Besides, fun is possibly the most critical part of childhood. That is why there is a distinction between childhood and adulthood. The most important job that a child has is to have fun. As parents, some of us need to learn to get out of the way and let them do so.
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