By Justin Daugherty, Guest Column
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Parents of the world – if you’re thinking your kid should play a sport to get exercise or play fewer video games, stop. Just get them a gym membership.
Sports are for developing character, work ethic and a drive to achieve something. There are winners and losers, bumps and bruises, good days and bad days, and rewards and consequences.
If you don’t allow them to struggle, lose, face adversity and finish the season, you’re enforcing in them that quitting is fine – and it will plague them their whole life. You don’t let them face consequences for skipping, taking reps off or mouthing off you will enforce that they are always in control and no one has authority over them. If you don’t make them work harder than their capacity, you’re enforcing that their ceiling is low.
So don’t put your kids in sports unless you’re ready for them to cry tears from pain, defeat, joy, victory and achievement. Coaches aren’t baby-sitters – and victories are earned, not given.
The writer, a resident of Andrews, is an assistant coach with the Murphy High School wrestling team.