by Shilo Dawn Goodson

Created on: March 01, 2010

I don’t think that kids should ever be forced to play sports completely against their will. For me, the word “forced” in this context brings about the picture of a child who hates playing sports or hates a certain sport being dragged onto the field or the court kicking and screaming or even worse, the child who has been threatened if they don't participate. That being said, I think that there are many children who should be encouraged, sometimes even strongly encouraged to participate in sports. When it is a forced thing, often the parents are hoping to live their own dreams through their children. Instead of the kid coming to love the sport, the kid comes to resent the sport and often loses respect for Mom and/or Dad, because the child feel like his or her feelings are not being taken into account.

I see three big reason that I think that kids should be highly encouraged to participate in sports, but it should never become a power struggle where one side has to win. This includes when the child is just trying a new sport, if the child has specifically requested to participate in a sport and is now having second thoughts, and if the child has huge potential in a sport. Of course, parents should always be encouraging towards their children when the children are participating in a sports.

GIVE THE SPORT A CHANCE

When a child is preschool or young elementary school age, that child can and probably should become involved in some sort of physical activity. Soccer and Little League baseball or two great options for younger children. Sports provide many positive influences in children’s lives. They help to give children physical activity which helps to prevent obesity. Sports also allow a child to gain confidence and to build friendships. Playing sports can also help to teach children about rules. Even at a young age, sports can introduce your child to good sportsmanship.

At a young age, sometimes there’s a fine line between forcing a child to play sports and just highly encouraging a child to participate in them. Even children who later come to love a sport don’t always love  that sport at first. Sometimes the child, particularly a small child, is scared of new things. If you allow the child to quit before the child has given the sport a chance, the child will not get the valuable experience that he or she would have gained from participation in organized sports. If the child is reluctant to participate in a sport, a good

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