I grew up in sports, and as evidenced by this photo of me during my high school years spent on the wrestling team, I would not be who I am without these guys! Guess which one is me?
When it comes to my family, especially in regards to my children, I am very encouraging of their interest and participation in sports. In fact, I see athletics as one of the single most important things you can do for children, because these skills of teamwork, discipline, coping with disappointment, and setting goals, are some of the most important you can offer them in childhood. I believe this sets them up to be confident in their abilities and strengthens their self esteem because they get a great scope of their own capabilities.
The determination that gets instilled through athletic pursuits is unlike any others because it is based on the physical ability within yourself, and this can have powerful repercussions in very positive ways in other parts of one’s life. Athletics enable children to grow into adults who can handle the challenges that come with life, because to exist and succeed in today’s world, you need to have thick skin.
I’ve always been a fan of sports, and growing up, I was highly involved in athletics. It was the perfect outlet for my competitive nature. In my youth, I played football and then became very immersed in competitive wrestling during my high school years. Football, as a team sport that uses complex strategies to conquer, taught me the importance of being a team player. This training instilled tremendous discipline in me that may not have been learned in any other environment. Wrestling, as an individualistic sport, offered a separate, yet highly complementary skillset, which enabled me to grow further as an athlete. To this day, I am grateful for my upbringing that involved focus in these areas because they honed me into the person that I am as a result.
As a parent, I am firm in my belief that children need to be exposed to sports. Whether they excel in team sports like football or baseball, or are more inclined towards independent activities like wrestling or swimming; sports provide them with skills few other recreational pursuits can. The focus, strategizing, self esteem, and goal setting acquired from sports are priceless; few things you can give your children will enrich their lives more.