Baseball, Football, Basketball, Soccer, Lacrosse, Wrestling, and the list goes on. Kids today have many different options and access to a number of different sports.
With the number of options it would only make sense to try them all out and then eventually make a choice as to what you like best. Yet, we have kids specializing in specific sports at a very young age. As a parent you want your son and daughter to have choices, but also reach their goals. So the question becomes how young is too young to start specializing in a specific sport?
The only answer I can give is this….. don’t specialize. Surprised, you shouldn’t be. As Kaden continues to get older and we continue to try out different sports I have observed that he is a natural athlete. The fact that he is a natural athlete is great, but he continues to be in the middle of the road for most sports because he likes them all and we work on them all not one specific. I have thought about discussing this with him and having him pick one or two sports but that seems like forcing the issue and I would rather have it happen naturally.
I would rather have him enjoy and learn as many sports as possible and if that puts him behind so be it. You are only a kid once so why not experience everything life has to offer. We won’t be specializing any time soon and neither should you. Having fun and gaining new experiences is what I believe is best for Kaden. If he was meant to be a professional athlete than I figure it will happen rather he plays ten sports at age 8 or one.
by Stacey Atkinson