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Registration fee: $75
Roller Blades: $100
Helmet and Pads: $65
Hockey Stick: $15
Your child who wants to quit
after one game: Priceless?
No,
EXPENSIVE!!
Kids
play youth sports to have
fun. If your child wants to
quit, he must not be having
fun. It might be the coach
or the other players. Maybe
your child feels inferior to
his teammates. If he's
playing the sport for the
first time, it might be as
simple as he doesn't like
the sport.
Stay in the game
-
Determine
why he is unhappy. If he
won't tell you, talk to
the coach and other
parents.
-
Try to make changes that
will make him happy.
-
If he insists on
quitting and you think
it's best for everyone,
try to have him take
some of the
responsibility.
-
Think twice before
signing him up again.
Try
to find out what is
preventing him from enjoying
the sport and work to solve
it so he can have fun and
get through the season. Talk
to your child and talk to
the coach. Sometimes it even
helps to talk to other
parents who might have
encountered similar
situations with their
children.
If it
turns out the player simply
doesn't want to continue,
you might be in for a
miserable few months that's
not worth the money you
spent. For the sake of you,
your child and the coach, it
might be best just to let
him quit.
If
quitting seems to be the
only option, try to put some
of the responsibility back
on the child. A simple way
to do this is to have your
child, regardless of age, do
chores around the house
during the times he would
otherwise be at the sports
activity to help 'pay for'
your non-refundable
investment.
You
might suggest that he still
attend the games to support
the team. Maybe he could
serve another role on the
team (bat boy, score keeper,
etc.). This eliminates his
misery from playing but more
importantly also teaches
that quitting anything
usually has repercussions of
some type.
Don't
forget to offer the
repercussions before the
final decision is made
because your child might
decide to stick it out after
all. Also, think twice
before signing him up for
this particular sport again
and before signing him up
for any activity review this
situation with him and how
you will handle it if he
quits again.
Jon
Buzby's columns appear in
newspapers and magazines
around the country as well
as numerous websites. He is
also a frequent public
speaker and has written two
books. He can be contacted
through his website at
www.jonbuzby.com.
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