Parents Out of Bounds

Maddie Ziegler, brought to popularity by the Lifetime show Dance Moms, now has a successful career as a dancer, model, influencer, and actress. She began taking dance lessons at the age of two. If she hadn’t started at this early age she might not have the career in dance that she has. Simone Biles, widely considered the greatest gymnast of all time, began her sport at the age of six. She has competed around the world, winning eleven Olympic medals and thirty World Championship medals. In 2022, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden. Biles took a two-year break from gymnastics from 2021-2023 to work on her mental health, leaving many wondering if a high-stakes athletic career is worth it. Reality TV and the Olympics are not options for most young athletes, but many more parents manage their young children’s participation in intensive sports. Some believe that entering children into a sport at a young age, especially when the sport is highly competitive, is wrong. Highly competitive sports can be high-pressure and possibly damage a child’s mental health. Furthermore, intense, repetitive and specialized sport training is associated with a host of overuse injuries in children, including stress fractures, tendonitis, bursitis, apophysitis and osteochondral injuries. However, partaking in athletics can also benefit a child’s physical and psychological 1health, and is correlated with academic success. Sport can teach children the value of teamwork, dedication, work ethic, and accountability. It can also boost self-esteem, and might make children less susceptible to substance abuse. Finally, athletic scholarships give some students college opportunities they would not have 2had otherwise. There is also the question of whether parents should get to decide what sports or activities their children participate in. Some think children should get to choose their activities themselves so they grow up doing things they like to do. This may also contribute to their feeling empowered to make decisions on their own. Some parents believe instead that since they can better determine what is good for their children, they are justified in forcing their children into activities, even against their will. Children might later thank their parents for having tried something that leads to later satisfaction or success.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.When is it permissible for parents to make decisions for their child that are actively against their will?

2.Is there something problematic about young children substituting intense sports for “regular” childhood activities?

3.Is it reasonable for parents to push children into intensive sports in the hope that the children will achieve rarer or more unlikely goals, such as Olympic glory, tv show contracts, professional sports careers, or D-1 athletic scholarships?

4.To what extent should parents consider a child's individual desires and interests when enrolling them in extracurricular activities?

https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/specialties/sports-medicine/sports-medicine-articles/kids-sports-injuries-the-numbers-are-impressive1 https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/YSS_Report_OnePager_2020-08-31_web.pdf