Copyright 2002-2008 SavingAdvice.com.

David G. Mitchell

September 26, 2008

If you have kids, you have probably endured seasons of organized youth sports. Baseball, basketball, football, hockey, lacrosse, swimming, volleyball – the list of options for kids is seemingly endless and can keep them occupied from January to December. If your kid wants to play a lot of different sports, it can be both a very expensive proposition for you and a very time-consuming obligation for your entire family. That is why you really need to have a plan when it comes to scheduling sports for your children.

Start Young

Exercise is good. You should encourage your children to get exercise every day and support them when they tell you that they want to play a sport. If you wait until your kids are old enough to know about team sports, they will be behind the learning curve and you will likely find your child has fallen behind his or her peers. To remedy this, you really need to start your child in youth sports as soon as you feel that he or she is mature enough to handle an organized sport.

The YMCA has a great youth sports program for younger children. Regardless of the sport, kids will typically play one game per week and have one practice per week, neither of which will last more than 60 minutes. Our local Y offers basketball, tee-ball, flag football and soccer on a rotating basis throughout the year, at a cost of less than $50 for Y members (per season) and usually less than $100 for non-members. Y sports tend to emphasize teamwork and team values while giving players a basic understanding of the sport that they are playing. They also give your child (and you) exposure to several different sports so that your child can decide what he or she actually likes and you can assess where your child may actually have talent.

Let your Child Play

Many parents sign their kids up for youth sports because they believe that their child is going to be a star some day. The odds of your child being a star in any sport are slim. You need to accept that at an early age. There is nothing wrong with dreaming or working toward a dream, but chances are that your child will not even make the high school team in his or her chosen sports. That means that if your child decides to give up a sport or try a new sport, you should not be concerned about his or her chances to get a college scholarship just because he or she gave up tennis at age 9. If your child hates a sport or prefers another sport, they should not have to suffer through season after season just because you think it is good for them. That will only make them resent you and can increase the likelihood that they will be injured playing the sport that they hate.

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