Comments | julieswanson: travel sports, ARG!

julieswanson

travel sports, ARG!

May 29, 2007 14:24

I've been so busy that it's been over a month since I posted an entry--hope it's not so late that they've cancelled my lj (I heard if you are inactive for 30 days, it can be... we'll see if this comes up ( Read more... )

Leave a comment

Back to all threads

"ut really, sports are not as important as we are making them." annemariepace May 29 2007, 18:50:25 UTC

Did I really just read these words from you? (Hee hee. I'm teasing.)

Re: "ut really, sports are not as important as we are making them." annemariepace May 30 2007, 13:51:00 UTC

You better be kidding, Anne Marie, because I'm in too bad a mood about sports to be fooling with me on this! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sports, but there is just too much parent involvement in what is supposed to be a kids' game, too much stress and pressure and money going into it. They are important and they do teach great lessons and they can be very healthy, but we've lost perspective as a society. I have felt this way for probably 17 years. But then it's easy to lose perspective on lots of things. I find myself doing it in writing, too, and I go back and forth between getting it all in focus again and then losing it.

Re: "ut really, sports are not as important as we are making them." annemariepace May 30 2007, 15:51:37 UTC

I can't tell you how grateful I am that none of my kids play challenge, let alone TRAVEL!

You know I'm not really a sports person, so it's interesting to me to hear it come from you. Of course, your particular history and current family circumstance mean you really know what you're talking about. From me, it means little; from you, it has impact.

Maybe you should write something for NEWSWEEK in that My Turn column--or would your husband be mad at you?

Re: "ut really, sports are not as important as we are making them." annemariepace May 30 2007, 22:41:39 UTC

I don't think he'd like it, but even more than that, I don't think it's very meaningful to complain so publicly unless I'm ready to do something about it and "lead the revolution." Given the time I have/lack and the forces I'd have to go against right here in my own house and town, I think it's best to grin and bear it. I don't mean to make him (DH as they say) sound like he's crazy--he has problems with travel sports, too. He went to this weekend's tournament with me and thought it was a waste of time, but he thinks I'm exaggerating and over-generalizing that all travel weekends/days are like this one bad experience. (They aren't, but many are ( ... )

Re: "ut really, sports are not as important as we are making them." annemariepace May 31 2007, 00:01:06 UTC

The thing is, it's not just sports. It's music (gotta start when they're 3) and everything else.

Parents are making their kids into trophies. They say it's "so he can get into a good college" but it's more than that.

Re: "ut really, sports are not as important as we are making them." annemariepace May 31 2007, 12:49:01 UTC

Yeah, I think you're right. People are that way about school, too, having their kids take all honors classes and then the poor kid has to slave away on homework until all hours of the night. It's one thing if a kid is really an honors caliber student, but they aren't all, and it's hard trying to live up to that. It's a lot of stress, and in this case it's all on the kid.

Back to all threads