Some decisions are too important for a child to make.

Good parents do not allow their children to choose if they:

• go to school
• eat
• sleep
• go to church
• obey

While children should be allowed to make many choices, there are some decisions which are too important for them to be trusted with.

Sports fall into this category. (See: Why You Should Never Yell at a T-Ball Umpire)

How can a 7^th grader be entrusted with such a life-altering decision of whether or not they engage in athletic competition.

Too much value is found in sports for a a child’s participation to be left up to them.

A parent should force their children to play sports.

Most of the time. (See: Your Child Isn’t That Good)

Sure there are exceptions. Not every child will have the ability or talent to play sports, but those cases are far more rare than we often assume. A majority of children should be forced to play something.

The value of athletics is too great.

And this is truer today than ever.

In a society where obesity is at the core of many leading causes of death and in my own country 1/3 of all adults are obese, it is almost a parent’s moral obligation to ensure physical activity for their children.

Living in a time where narcissism is on the rise among youth, the value which sports can bring of teaching teamwork, dedication, and dealing with success and failure is vital.

Children need to be involved in sports and parents are the ones who should make the decision for them.

Notice what I haven’t said. I did not say:

We should become one of those parents trying to live our athletic dreams through our children.

We should place sports above all other things.

We should live a life out of balance because of a sports schedule.

We should pressure our children to win. (See: Three Things a Parent Should Do From the Stands)

I said we should make them play, but even as we do so, we should be the one’s making sure everyone keeps the proper perspective on the activity.

Notice another thing I did not say. I did not say a parent should force a child to play a specific sport. I do not believe they should.

A parent should require their child play something. A parent should expose their child to several activities and as the child grows, the child should control which sports he or she plays. I demand THAT you play; you choose WHAT you play.

By allowing the child to pick which activities to do, it empowers them to express themselves, learn to control their lives, and understand the consequences of decisions.

The child choosing also helps the parent from becoming too involved in the child’s play. We should be diligent in assuring the child it is there decision what they play. They do not have to pick what we love or expect. They are free within the boundaries we have given them to choose whatever they desire. (See: What Makes a Little Boy Cry)

It can be a team sport or an individual sport. It can be something they do at school or an activity through another organization. It can be a sport which has games and keeps score or simply a physical activity for which there is no clear winner or loser. It can be football or Crossfit, but it will be something.

Every child needs to learn the discipline of regular physical activity. The sooner they make it a habit within their lives the longer they will reap the benefits. The issue is too important for a parent to leave the decision to a child.

Force your kids to play. They may not like it now, but they will thank you later.

For more, see:

Which Parent Are You?

Three Ways Parents Discourage Their Children