The number of American children between the ages of 6 and 17 involved in team sports today is 21 million. Many parents feel they have to involve their kids in increasingly competitive team sports. David King, director of athletics at Eastern Mennonite University, and Margot Starbuck, an award-winning author have teamed up together to debunk seven widespread myths about youth sports. Here are three of them.
Myth: Parents owe their offspring a chance to participate in organized sports so they can become rounded winners. The authors counsel moms and dads to consider the costs of time, money, physical and emotional risks, and loss of age-appropriate play.
Myth: My child should specialize in one sport. King and Starbuck point out that this can lead to early injuries and push families toward seeking "the holy grail" of college scholarships.
Myth: Youth sports instill our family's values. Actually, the opposite may be true. Sometimes negative values surface such as a diminishment of family time together, endorsement of violence and the macho ideal, and detachment from the faith community.
King and Starbuck also discuss the risk of burnout in children who are not given the chance to be kids. They are convinced that applying adult models to kids' sports is unhealthy. Throughout this paperback, the authors answer questions and point out helpful and kid-friendly strategies which can be used by parents, coaches, and religious communities to insure that sports shape children in positive ways.
