Sport-Blog.com

If you are a parent who is overworked, especially if you did not play sports yourself, then it is likely that you do not understand your child's desire to enjoy the sport of the day, whether it is soccer, (American) football, basketball, hockey, or any other sport. When you are too busy to think, you cannot imagine adding another set of errands to your plate.

You should reconsider, however. You can start by looking at what we know sports provides for children who play. The first lesson sporting teaches children is that you must trust and depend on others. You, too, must be trustworthy because your teammates depend on you. Playing a team sport like baseball encourages children to play together. In addition to depending on the dynamics of teamwork, children must play their position, teaching about boundaries and sharing.

Sports also can be an equalizer. A brilliant student in the classroom may not be the All-Star athlete on the court. The reverse, of course, is true as well. Sports allows children to explore their abilities in a new way, a way that you cannot get in the classroom or in a home-school environment. Allowing your child to play sports means that he or she will learn how to appreciate different ideas.

Playing a sport can enhance an understanding of academic subjects as well. Trying to explain trajectory based on angles and velocity in a physics class will leave many students glazed. Try explaining that these principles explain why some baseballs are homeruns makes the students more interested.

Another important reason to let your child play sports is because it encourages good choices in other areas of life. Study after study has shown that children tend to perform better in the classroom and make more ethical decisions in proportion to the number of adults who support them. A slew of coaches and other team parents adds a modicum of support for children. They will be less likely to jeopardize playing the sport and disappointing other parents, their teammates, and their coaches.

Sports playing also builds self-esteem. If you allow your child to begin playing at an early age and continue through high school, chances are that she will have a higher self-image than other students. I say "she" only on purpose. While the confidence-boosting nature of sports is true for boys as well, it is particularly apparent in girls. Teenaged girls who play sports are less likely to become pregnant, to develop an eating disorder, or to engage in other harmful behaviors that plague the lives of teen girls in the United States.

Sports, of course, teaches responsibility as well. You must show up. You must play your best. You must remember what your coach taught you. These benefits of sports are worth consideration for any parent. You can go a long way in teaching your child about life by allowing him to participate in a sport. If this activity is one your child enjoys and one which teaches valuable life lessons, then it is definitely one that is worthy of your time.
by Julia Mercer