Mom of 6-year-old says attitudes to kids’ sports getting “out of hand”

A concerned mom has taken to TikTok to share her opinion that sports for children have “gone too far.”

The benefits of practicing sports are well noted. According to the University of San Diego, sports contribute to the improvement of children’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. One study shows that children who participated in sports from a young age are six to five times more active during adulthood.

The mom-of-four has questioned the high discipline stakes in the sporting world at a young age, which she says could deter children from enjoying being active.

In a video that has so far amassed 217,200 views and 22,400 likes, the mom said she was concerned after receiving two separate emails asking her daughter to seriously commit to two teams.

“I believe it is a large commitment for kids who want to learn and explore different activities,” Paige Connell from Massachusetts told Newsweek.

“I do not love the pressure we put on kids to make a decision about which sport they should stick with when they are this young and should be focusing on fun and finding out what they do and do not like,” she said.

Connell explained her 6-year-old practices dance and gymnastics each week at beginner level, and she loves it.

However, this week, the mom received emails from both practices stating that her child needs to start getting serious about the sports and partake in three to four classes a week with the expectation of competing.

The mom believes that unless they want to compete in the Olympics or at a national level, kids should be allowed to try out different sports and not have to get serious about them until they reach high school—when they know what they truly love.

Connell’s daughter’s gymnastics and dance classes cost $150 a month each. She enjoys her classes but does not want to go more than once a week and has since asked her mom to withdraw from gymnastics.

On TikTok, Connell said, “Am I the only person that thinks kids’ sports have gotten just so out of hand?” She explained that other parents were eager to sign their kids up for classes even though they do not start until September.

“Why are we expecting them to double down and really, like, commit to a sport?” she said.

“They are too young to know what color they like or what food they wanna eat for dinner, but we expect them to pick the sport that they’re gonna go all in on right now, and we’re gonna spend thousands of dollars a year for them to do that just seems crazy for their age.

“I don’t know if I’m alone in this. Like, I love sports and want my kids to do sports, but this just feels too intense for their ages,” she said. “I don’t think it’s appropriate.”

Other parents shared their opinions on the matter, with many agreeing with Connell.

Commenter Dom Bavaro said: “They don’t care about the kids. They just want to take the parents money. Child sports is big business.”

One TikTok user wrote, “When my daughter joined swim team at 7 we were told by other parents ‘Good thing she joined now usually after 9 it’s too late’ for what?!?!”

Others disagreed with Connell, saying it is the normal window in the fields for a child to start practicing seriously.

“It’s because it’s dance and gymnastics. We started so early because you age out so early too,” one TikToker commented.

“For things like gymnastics, ballet, etc etc, this is actually normal. Even if she starts at 10, she’ll be so far behind,” another commenter said.

Physical activity specialist Nicky Haverson told Newsweek that keeping exercise fun and playful is a more effective way to achieve its positive effects.

“Play is fundamental to positive experiences and enjoyment for children and young people,” Haverson said.

“It has been overlooked for far too long in the way we coach them. The powerful thing about play is that it includes everybody even those who want to progress to the higher elite levels of sport.

“Most importantly, it includes children who show up every week regardless of ability. We lose so many children to sport because we don’t make it fun, we don’t create those positive experiences and those welcoming spaces for them, and play is inherent in that.”

Haverson, the chair of the cycling club Cheltenham Town Wheelers, said that he creates a space for the children to play and chat for 15 minutes before each session. He has adopted a child-first approach to teaching through Play Their Way, a coaching initiative that ensures they have the best experience possible.

“It’s important to create an environment where children aren’t afraid to say that they’re not enjoying themselves,” he said.

“Some children come to a session one week and not want to ride a bike and just talk to us and their friends about school and what is going on in their lives and that’s fine.”