Besides that one Spring sophomore year, I have never played sports. When I was young, I always wanted to play softball. I knew I loved watching baseball, and everyone around me seemed to love playing a sport. There was one major problem keeping me from playing softball, my parents couldn't afford it. I never really asked my parents if I could play because I knew the answer would be, "no, we can't afford it." I never had a real passion to play any sport either, and I'm not a competitive person, but I sometimes wonder if I might be if I had played sports.
Most parents encourage their kids to play sports, some even force them to, but my parents never did that with me or my brothers. My brothers, being the strong-willed bunch they are, did attempt to join sports teams but found out it wasn't for them. I never once took a gymnastics class or joined a local soccer team. I wish I had been more forceful about joining a team because maybe I would have found out it wasn't for me, but maybe I would have enjoyed it. I wish I had been given the opportunity to try different things because I never got to explore what athletic talents I have.
I don't want it to sound like my parents completely kept me from these opportunities because they tried to. They just couldn't afford it. Why does it have to cost so much to join a sport? I was never interested in something enough to make it a priority for my parents to spend money on. I hate that I never felt like I could ask to join a softball team, but I was way too quiet about my thoughts.
To the kids who are introverted and don't want to share what their thinking, I want to tell you that it definitely is worth it. It has taken me way too long too open up and go after what I want. I have for my entire life just sat in the background watching other people have fun and wishing I was one of them. Kids, do something about it. To the parents of these kids, you may feel like you're pushing them to do something they're not comfortable with, but honestly they don't know what they're comfortable with yet. I was always a shy kid who didn't want to participate but I think it would have been beneficial to me to try different things out to get involved at a young age.
In fifth grade, I found that music was something that I liked and was good at. I played the flute for six years and I enjoyed it, but I still felt like I had never explored the athletic side of me. Sophomore year in high school I joined the tennis team. I met some great friends and found that I loved the sport and I wasn't too bad at it. I has zero athletic ability being the first sport I had ever done in my life, but I liked finding out that I had that potential in me. I didn't continue the sport because I also found out that I wasn't a team player. I didn't like the commitment it required of me and I didn't have a competitive spirit about me. (I honestly didn't care if we won or lost.) Maybe if I had been introduced to it younger I would have been more competitive and used to the sports life.
There are a lot of kids who simply aren't athletic and aren't interested in sports and that's okay. I thing we need to make it more affordable for families so that kids and explore different interests. Have them join gymnastics and softball, play an instrument and take dance classes. I think the more well-rounded kids are the more experiences they have to find out what they like and who they are. If your kid is quiet like I was, have them play an instrument. Ask your kids if there is something they're interested in because you never know what they're not telling you.
