re: More Pussification in Youth Athletics

quote:

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I don't believe parents should force kids in to doing something they have no interest just because it was the parent's dream. I see it now with gymnastics and cheerleading in my area. Competitive cheerleading has been huge in this area for over 2 decades, and you see mothers already putting their 5 and 6 year olds on competitive teams. That's entirely too early, and the ones who start at a high level of competition very young usually burn out by high school.

I have no plans to let them do anything really competitive (even if they want to) until they're at least in middle school. Before then, all I really ask is that they have fun with it and progress.

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Getting your kid(s) involved in extracurricular activities isn't a ubiquitously bad thing, I totally agree. In fact, there's little else I can say other than I disagree with nothing you declared.

It's just really bizarre to see this line of thinking that if your kid isn't fighting to win, they must be a "pussy" and you're enabling weakness. In the military, that might actually be applicable (although the evolution of our tactics is clearly going in a different direction) but when they're 10? Maybe even 13 or 14? It's too much to ask. They just want to have fun.