Mike Barnicle article

[theboys]

I agree with you, Wizard. This topic has been beaten into the ground. But, its still one I wonder about often. As we old folks often say, "when I was a kid..." there was no such thing as Travel Baseball and Elite Soccer and AAU basketball at ten years old. Over the years, we, as a society, have become so obsessed with sports, that our children have a difficult time playing "recreational" sports anymore.

As a parent of a "reasonably gifted" athlete, the most difficult decision is how far to let it go. You want your child to have every opportunity to succeed, but not at the cost of their self-esteem or adolescent development. You have to decide if letting your kid just play "rec" ball means he or she will have a lower probability of making the school team later in life. And, if that's important or not. We used to ridicule the Soviets for directing 5-6 year old children into specific programs, but, more and more, it seems like we're doing similar things, on a lesser scale.

Ultimately, for me, as long as my child is enjoying himself and the environment is positive physically and mentally, I'll allow him to continue his pursuit.

Sorry for the length. Thanks for readin'.