I pay for my kid to …

It’s early in the season and I think a good time to help nip something in the bud that inevitably I hear every year in every youth organization I volunteer in — “I didn’t pay for <insert aspect of something they are unhappy about>”.

Here is a snippet from an article I recently read that is worth a read. We are pretty confident that more than 99% of us all agree on this but it’s still worthwhile to read as a reminder because it’s easy to stray from the mindset a bit and get upset about the little things even though we really don’t mean to.

“One of my friends asked “Why do you pay so much money for your kid to play sports”? Well I have a confession to make; I don’t pay for my kid to do sports. Personally, I couldn’t care less about what sport they do.

So, if I am not paying for sports what am I paying for?

– I pay for those moments when my kid becomes so tired they want to quit but don’t.

– I pay for those days when my kid comes home from school and is “too tired” to go to their training but they go anyway.

– I pay for my kid to learn to be disciplined, focused and dedicated.

– I pay for my kid to learn to take care of her body and equipment.

– I pay for my kid to learn to work with others and to be a good teammate, gracious in defeat, and humble in success.

– I pay for my kid to learn to deal with disappointment when she doesn’t get that win or championship she’d hoped for, but still she goes back week after week giving it her best shot.

– I pay for my kid to learn to make and accomplish goals.

– I pay for my kid to respect, not only themselves, but other players, officials, and coaches.

– I pay for my kid to learn that it takes hours and hours, years and years of hard work and practice to create a champion and that success does not happen overnight.

– I pay for my kid to be proud of small achievements, and to work towards long term goals.

– I pay for the opportunity my kid has and will have to make life-long friendships, create lifelong memories, to be as proud of her achievements as I am.

– I pay so that my kid can be out on the court instead of in front of a screen…

…I could go on but, to be short, I don’t pay for sports; I pay for the opportunities that sports provides my kid with to develop attributes that will serve her well throughout her life and give her the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen so far I think it is a great investment!”