Are Competitive Sports Healthy for Kids???? Part One

Makenna first gymnastics meet for the season starts this Saturday!  We are all excited and can't wait to watch her use her gifts that God has given her.  I know there are people who don't agree with competitive sports and probably for good reasons.  However, I've seen and witnessed the benefits of sports in my life, my husband and my kids lives.  There is a such thing as healthy competition.  Mark and I have been able to use gymnastics for Makenna and Karate for Markus and Marcia as another fertile ground to teach them important life lessons.  (which I will share in future blogs)  I don't think sports are the problem.  Its the coaches and parents who don't have their morals and values in check and act like morons that are the problems.  When the parents act crazy then so do their kids!  So, its important to make sure  the coaches that are teaching and spending time with your kid has the same values as you do.  If they don't and its not a healthy environment you are setting your child up for disaster. 

Its so important as parents to do our job  to teach our kids about balance.  I know Makenna loves gymnastics and probably would spend every day in the gym if we allowed her too, but what is that teaching her?  Its teaching her to be a workaholic and idols success as an adult and that is not healthy.  In our house it is God, family, school and then whatever comes after. If anything begins to feel or look chaotic we know are priorities are all out of whack. 

  Makenna has big goals and she knows with God and hard work, anything is possible. (I love when kids and adults and bigger visions for their life.  However, the majority of kids and adults have big ideas but sit on their behinds and play video games all day or won't take the time to sharpen their skills in order to reach their dreams.  If you are going to dream big and use the gifts and talent God has given you, then you need to work on them everyday.  If someone thinks they can accomplish something by wishing or doing nothing I have bad news for you that is a poverty mindset. The bible says, "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. Proverbs 12:11.  We teach the kids to dream big but in order to do that you have to learn how to work and it starts at home first!