Sports and Children by Kalani Millsaps

My brother and sister are involved in just about every activity possible. My 8 year old sister has polynesian dance practice Mondays and Wednesdays from 5-6, AYSO soccer practice Mondays and Wednesdays from 4-5, club soccer practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5, and softball practice from 4:30 to 5:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Every Saturday there is usually at least one club soccer game, one AYSO soccer game and one softball game, in the event that there are no tournaments. She sometimes has polynesians shows that she is required to perform in also. My step-mom is involved in everything as much as she can be. For instance, she is on the Board of Directors for the AYSO soccer league and has meetings for that just about every week, she started the club soccer team and was coaching that for awhile, and also frequently coaches for the softball team. I feel that she is overly involved with the activities that my sister participates in and also that my sister is too involved with her numerous activites. She hardly has time to just be with her friends. Not too mention, my step-mom pushes her hard in everything she does. She does encourage her very often, however, she is also very condescending and nothing ever seems good enough. I speak with my dad about how I feel and tell him that my sister is involved in too many things, that my step-mom is too hard on my sister and pushes her too much, and that because the way my sister is treated I think she is missing out on her childhood in terms of just having fun versus competing for everything. She gets very sad if she does not win and gets very down on herself. In addition to all of this, my sister does not really get a chance to sit down and eat and just relax. She hardly ever watches television, which some may feel is a benefit to her hectic schedule. All of these things that I have noticed relate directly to what I have read in "Sports in Society". More specifically, I remember the textbook bringing up issues about how organized programs are emphasizing the performance ethic of young children and also how involved and concerned parents are becoming in regards to the success of their child in youth sports. I have always felt that my sister was being pushed too much even though she typically enjoys being in so many activities but at least now I know that there is something I can do about it.
Kalani Millsaps KIN 332 TTh1230