I preface this post by saying that I definitely encourage my kids to get into sports and activities that require physical exertion. I think that fresh air and running around are absolutely essential to keeping them healthy and happy. I'm definitely not ripping on sports or physical activities in ANY way.
My 10 year old won third place in the Science Fair. She didn't just win third place in her age group or for her grade but overall. It's a pretty great accomplishment. I'm really proud of her. I think what makes me most proud of the whole thing is that this wasn't something that was required of her for a grade; it's an optional competition that she chose to participate in. It's something SHE thought would stretch her imagination and help her learn something new.
That brings me to the purpose of this post....
I'm a big advocate of education over activity. Let me explain: I'm an advocate of always putting your education before your sports "career." Why? Well, you never know...and that's why. The likelihood of an injury in a constantly-training athlete is pretty high. It might be something minor and it might be something career-ending. In the blink of an eye, you can lose that ability to have a sports scholarship. However, no one can take your imagination away from you. No one can take away all that studying and what you've learned.
I allow my kids to do physical activities but our rule is that school ALWAYS comes first. That means that if you have to miss a practice to work on a project, you miss that practice. Yes, teamwork and dedication are important but it is far more important to me to teach them priorities. Work before play. I see people pushing their kids from age 2 or 3 to be soccer stars or baseball stars. I see them pushing their little football players, dancers or gymnasts to go-go-go from such a young age. I see injuries happening in 10 year olds that should realistically not be occurring until adulthood because they train so hard so young. Pediatricians have even commented on how it affects their bodies to drill them so young. Physical activities are fantastic but the risks are sometimes quite high for major physical problems later on resulting from their go-go-go attitudes at that young age.
I'm very proud of my kids desiring to work their butts off on their school work. Do they always feel like doing homework? Hell no! Do they always do 100% on every single project? Probably not. Do I push them to always do their best? YES! It's not about an "A" or a "B" for me...it's about encouraging them to do the best they can at their JOB, which, at this age, is school. I encourage them to not just look at what the homework entails but to learn about what happened around that history lesson, to explore more about that biology topic, to do great things with what they've learned and take it to the next level. My feeling is that this love of learning will help them to advance in whatever they want to do. It doesn't have to be college; it might be trade school or an internship or a million other ways to learn. Whatever career they want, that work-first attitude will help them. That desire to make sure that they're stretching their minds will go further.
Look, I'm not ripping on anyone for their choices. Everyone does what's best for their kids. My feeling, though, is that the big picture is more important. Down the road, when my kids are parents or grandparents, that love of learning will still be intact. That education they gained during all of these years of studying will still be there. They will have opportunities that they wouldn't otherwise have had. They won't suffer "bad knees" from learning. They won't suffer a "bad back" from learning. They won't suffer arthritis from learning. That love of learning will live on and help them to inspire the next generation to love learning too. I'll always encourage the physical activity that helps my kids to be happy and healthy but I will never push them so hard that they're stretched too thin for their school life.
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