Need parent advice regarding a child and sports!

ShannaB83185
ShannaB83185 Posts: 441 Member
edited December 2024 in Chit-Chat
So for the past 2 seasons my son (age 9) has been playing flag football. He loves it and practices are one day a week and then games on Sundays. We had decided that once he played flag football a couple seasons we would look into putting him in Pop Warner (tackle) football for the fall season. Well it is that time and I have been doing some research and holy cow!!! Not only is it expensive..$250+ but it is also so time consuming! Practices are 5 days a week begining the last week of July through Labor Day and then practices go down to 3 days a week and games are every Saturday. My son is not overweight and is a very active child, he plays out side after school almost every day and he has played baseball, soccer, basketball and now flag football throughout his life. I want to promote a healthy and active lifestyle with him but I just can't see practicing 5 days a week and even 3 days a week for a 9 year old. Practices are about 2 hours long.. when do you eat dinner?? Or do homework??

I just wondered what other parents thought or if any of there kids have played in football or another time consuming sport and if I should move forward and sign him up. I don't want him to hate it or be overwhelmed with practice, school, not having time for friends etc. Any input would be appreciated :wink:

Replies

  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
    Well, the important thing is to talk to him about it. I would include everything you mentioned, like how many practices there are, showing him on a calendar which days that is, how long they are, and how he would have to be committed to finishing the season. Maybe just mention that you were thinking it might be a fun step for him to take, if he really like football, but ultimately it's up to him to decide if he wants to do it.

    That being said, definitely have some boundaries on it. If you're paying money for it, and have to be committed to team practices, I would want him to be willing to stick it out, at least for the season. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to sign up for another one, but finishing the season is pretty important, since it's team sport. Which is why he should really be aware of how much time he would have to put into it, i.e., why it's pretty important to literally show him how often and how long he would have to practice, along with keeping up his grades and everything else.

    I actually used to do martial arts from the age of about 7, and went to train 3-5 days a week for about at least an hour each time, with two-three hours some days when I had extra classes, like tumbling or sparring. When I got to middle school and high school, I was there 5-7 days a week training for my black belt, for at least two hours every session, along with cross-country, marching band, and honor classes in school. I didn't have an issue keeping up my grades, but I wanted to do all those extra things, and was aware that some nights, I would just have to stay up late to get my homework done, even if I was tired. I asked my mom to sign me up for extra stuff, because I wanted to do it, and enjoyed it. If I stopped enjoying it, I knew that I could stop at any time, and that was nice, because there wasn't any pressure to keep things up indefinitely.
  • karenjoy
    karenjoy Posts: 1,840 Member
    My son was a national standard cross country runner, an outstanding county level football and Rugby player (proper football, but you call it soccer) he also was a good cricketer...We spent a lot of time at practice, a lot of money...a lot, he was invited to take part in a summer school by Adidas and also invited to tale part in the children's London Marathon, but he is now 19 and works as a very talented chef, in a very high end hotel and is working his way up, he never plays any sport at all now as he has not got the time...its such a shame as he could have been good enough to represent his country, but he was not driven enough....in the end I always left it down to him I pushed him to a point, supported him in EVERYTHING, but when he made the choices he made, we discussed them and made sure he was sure...but he DOES sometimes regret not pursuing his running
  • prsusa38
    prsusa38 Posts: 29
    I have four kids and have done the cheerleading, band, and other sports. It does get very busy during those seasons and you hope your son gets committed to the sport. We would usually eat a snack before practice and then a small snack after they get home, because he will be hungry. Like I said it can be very time consuming but overall its fun when you get to watch the kids in action. Good luck
  • collinj8
    collinj8 Posts: 98 Member
    If he likes football enough he is not going to care. As lilRed said, you have to really explain to him all the work that is going to have to be put in. And honestly, the practices at his age, is going to be a lot of running the same play over and over. There is going to be a lot of fundamentals. Here is the other thing to take into account. The coach. The coach is going to play the biggest role. If the coach is the type that is going to get them prepared for the Superbowl tomorrow, he might have some issues there. IF this is a coach that just wants to teach them about football and have fun it will be more enjoyable.
    Dinners and all of that, once he is in JR. and High school, any sport he plays will be a 5 to 6 day a week task. All in all make it a family decision. Maybe talk with some of the other parents that might be going over to pop warner and see what they think.
  • ShannaB83185
    ShannaB83185 Posts: 441 Member
    Thanks everyone for the input! I will def be talking to him today about and explaining everything to make sure we are all on the same page. Karenjoy I am sorry to hear that your son was driven and didn't pursue his talent a little more but congrats to him on his exiciting position as Chef! I am sure he is fabulous!
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