Inside the Cupboard
This is another off the beaten path Inside the Cupboard but something that is very near and dear to me so please take three to give minutes to read this.
If you are evening looking at Inside the Cupboard, you share an interest in sports. When taken in the right perspective, sports can be a game changer for children, both boys and girls.
They can build confidence, build a ‘family’ that teaches a ‘team’ concept, and respect for others in a way that is not always covered in other areas.
Every child develops at a different level with some spiking early and plateauing later and others struggling early and blooming later. You can’t rush their development without doing harm 90% of the time.
Encouraging them to give it their all will help but you can’t expect a 10-year old child to throw a curve ball or a ball at 80-miles-an-hour. A former pitcher I really have a lot of respect for once told me before M ever threw his first ball, “If a kid under 13-14 (before his muscles are fully developed) can’t get a kid out on a fastball and a change up, he needs to find another position on the field.”
I’ve been raked over the coals, laughed at, criticized to heavens and back for believing that and sticking by that. That same man also had every pitcher he ever worked with read Nolan Ryan’s Pitcher’s Bible before he took them on as a student. He also never charged one person for lessons. Back at the ranch - besides being aware of your child’s growth spurts and their abilities at certain age/body size in development, watch what they eat/drink.
If a child is playing rec ball and has to have one, two, or sometimes more energy drinks to get through games or practices, there’s a problem there. Ask any doctor (and yes, I see medical personnel downing them like water) but they provide no good and can do a lot of damage. I’m no medical person for certain but I’ve read enough about them and have enough get around sense to figure it out. Our society has become so lax with what we eat (yes, I am aware I’m overweight), what we drink and I’m not talking sugar and salt - things that have been around for years and years.
We know the harm too much of those can do but yet, I see parents letting 10, 12, 14 and up year old kids energize themselves like crazy. If they’re so out of shape that they need that type of boost, maybe they aren’t cut out for sports or maybe, just maybe a little less screen, couch potato time would solve the energy crisis problem.
Only you can make that decision and I encourage you to do your research sooner than later and that’s the way it is from Inside the Cupboard.
