Lex has recently expressed interest in sports. Hockey, in particular. Several of his classmates play on a team and they brought a trophy in for show and tell. Lex was duly impressed. He described the entire thing to me, every little detail, after school that day.
This week he brought home a hockey book from school and we’ve decided that we, as a family, will learn how to skate this winter. I may take him to a Dartmouth game or maybe take him to watch his classmates play.
It’s an interesting situation though. I think he’s at the age where he is naturally starting to develop an interest in this kind of thing. I know another mother with kids the same age who is facing the same situation. The problem is, so many of his classmates have been playing since they were four! Or even younger, in some sports! Soccer starts for 2yr olds around here. Seriously?! So when the child is seven and starting to develop their own ideas and interests, they are already too old. Geesh!
Lex says he really wants to play on the hockey team with his classmates, but that won’t happen any time soon. I told him we could learn about hockey (rules, etc.) and learn to skate, then we’ll take it from there. He’ll probably lose interest anyway.
Parenting is so interesting and ever evolving. You don’t want to (well, I don’t want to!) force them into over-scheduled lives just so they don’t miss out on things, but at the same time it’s sad when they express interest in something all of their over-scheduled friends are doing and they can’t do because they weren’t born on skates. One of Eve’s classmates, a tiny little 5yr old girl, will be joining a hockey team this fall. Her mom asked if Eve wanted to join too. I told her we’re working on learning to skate this year and I’ll get back to her next year. :)
Somehow I want to say not to let his lack of experience or skill delay him from joining something..in my humble opinion. Coming up to speed will be a challenge, but the whole team moves forward a year together, and you have even further to catch up…coaches expect all ranges of abilities, and they can probably work with lex to develop his skills…and lex or eve would be learning from their friends as well as the coach, something that can’t happen when you practice on your own. I just want to suggest another way of looking at it…food for thought. Ya hate to see kids sitting on the sidelines…I guess Franklin is supportive of anyone who wants to try, and I hope your area teams are too…
love from a meddling ol granny
What the meddling ol granny said. :)
Back when I was a kid, there were plenty of openings in most sports teams by middle and high school because all those tiny Vince Lombardi players and whatnot had burned out and quit as soon as their parents would let them.
And for what it’s work, hockey is one of the most time devouring (not to mention expensive) sports.
I know what you mean, though. It’s too bad everybody starts so early. We might have been the only ones on the block who didn’t spend our Saturdays shouting at toddlers on the soccer field. I hope Molly doesn’t hate me for it when she’s 8.
Yesterday Lucy brought home a flyer about a learn to skate/intro to hockey program near here. She has also brought home Girl Scouts, fall soccer, and lacrosse flyers. Plus the community programs the school runs like swim lessons. I was interested in getting involved in 4H. Oh, and an aquiantance just started giving piano lessons. Dave insisted all summer I not sign the kids up for anything this fall, and as things are ramping up with the house and just getting used to school schedules I think he was right. I do wonder if it is a mistake to not join or start somethings but for right now I think it is right. I am more interested in taking the kids to something that both the big kids can do at the same time anyway. It is very hard to entertain the others while one is at an activity. I spent a torturous school year doing that through dance classes, and I don’t know if I can handle that again.
p.s. I kind of agree with your family. At this young age they are still expecting a wide range of skill levels but each season that goes the gap gets much wider. Hockeys arenas are cold though. ;D
I’ve wondered about the same. Our neighbors grown kids were (are) quite the hockey players and didn’t start until they were 6. Avery tried Smart Start soccer at 3.5, 5, and 7-each time it’s been fairly chaotic and despite loving to run and play soccer at home, she has not enjoyed it or stayed w/ it through the rec program. Lucky for me I paid $2.75 for her cleats at Listen. We’ve taken Learn to Skate twice, and I hear the Dartmouth women’s hockey team may give free lessons at Occum pond on sunday mornings in the winter. Both kids recently went to a volleyball clinic done by the Women’s team that was great. And Avery and I are taking a dog training class on saturdays. I figure sign up for a variety of things, don’t push (although I did once make Avery pay me back for a skating lesson she watched TV thru), and it’ll work itself out…
Don’t worry about it. As a soccer/hockey/karate/piano mom I can attest to the fact that any team grouped by age has a whole rainbow of abilities. Every kid gets to play every position, everyone claps for everyone else. At least that’s the case for the teams we’ve been a part of. There may be a few kids who’ve been playing since birth, but the majority of teams have a good chunk of beginners. It’s all about having fun and learning new skills – and if that’s not the goal, that’s not the team for us.