By: Ariel Brittain
Sports.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love being with friends and family, rooting for our favorite teams, but what about the players themselves? They spend most of their young adult lives running up and down the field or whacking balls, seemingly missing out on the teenage experience.
Think of all the crazy outings with friends and inside jokes, now given up for hours of practice. In addition, sleep is tossed aside to make time for other things that need to be done, such as school work. I understand having a passion for doing what you love, but everyone should have a life outside the school and field barriers. That’s what startles me about the hours these kids spend in practice. A couple of hours a day, 7 days a week, for what? One single meet. They no longer have those Chick-Fil-A Wednesdays with friends or any family time.
Speaking of family time, how about those long drives to away games or meets? Having your family pack everyone and everything into the car for a 60 minute game just to drive back and waste gas is pointless. I understand if your family is full of sports fanatics and can’t wait to scream “#21” at the top of their lungs, but what about those whose families can’t drive their kids? For example, some parents work all the time or have other children to take care of. What then? A player can’t carry his two-year-old sister up and down the soccer field or leave her at home alone. Even if the parents put their sibling under the care of a babysitter or have the coach watch the child, the frequency with which most athletic schedules would make this necessary would render this a bank-breaking practice and a sad loss of family time.
Another viewpoint suggests that some of these sport-invested children are, metaphorically, on the left-side of a right-side brain. Meaning they only do sports to get scholarships or to rise from family poverty, when in reality, they actually would like to be an artist, a lawyer or even a teacher, but they stay in sports.
Why? Some do it only to please their differing, pleading parents. They have one parent begging them to do track and field or sign up for the Lacrosse club and the other parent centering on artistic activities, such as theatre clubs and/or advanced art classes. This, when kept amicable, can be a great thing, but having one stubborn parent can ruin that. Soccer moms and dads aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but when is it time to let your children go and let them figure out what they want to do for themselves, let them! Parents shouldn’t be living all their high school dreams through their kids.
That’s a possible reason these kids reluctantly go to practice: to please their basketball-loving, crossfit-crazy mothers and fathers. Fitness is an important aspect of daily life. However, some of these children are developing unhealthy nutritional practices. They skip meals, or simply don’t eat, in order to stay in shape. Relying on Special K bars and apples is not a real diet; that’s an “I-need-to-get-in-shape-so-coach-doesn’t-call-me-fat” diet. Where are the good, old fashioned meals where the entire family gathers around the dinner table and tells stories of how their day went? I know some children don’t get this experience, most likely because of hard-working parents, but eating something filling (and yes, you can get it healthy, too) instead of starving yourself on diet-made food is still important. Speaking of health, mental health is a huge factor, too. It’s a great idea to get some “me time” whenever possible. With all your hectic activities, and even crazier classes, you’re going to need it.
If “going pro” sounds like a good idea, go for it and follow your dreams. But remember to have fun and go easy on yourself as much as you can. Make your teenage years memorable. You’ll thank yourself later.
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