Navigating Youth Sports: Finding Balance When Child Is Only Eight

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youth sportMonday night, 9:05 p.m. I picked up my son from basketball practice, his last sports activity of the day after starting practices at 4 p.m. following a full school day. As we hopped in the car, I was utterly exhausted. But my son? He was ready for more. If there’s one thing to know about my 8-year-old, it’s that he’s my own personal Energizer Bunny.

Now, you might assume he’s some high school all-star on the fast track to collegiate athletics. While he’s always an all-star in my book, the reality is he’s a third-grader who just loves playing sports.

We never set out to enroll him in a million activities—it just sort of happened. Soccer, basketball, flag football, golf…you name it, and he’s game. We’re not pushing him; he genuinely loves it. I’ll take responsibility for signing him up, but I didn’t anticipate the sheer intensity of youth sports at such a young age.

When Sports Feel More Like a Serious Business

Take soccer, for example. My son’s team is good—they had a solid summer season, and we are excited to see them grow. The boys play well together, win games, and have a blast. But then, the comparisons start to creep in. Should he be doing extra training? Should he take the winter off? Will he continue to be able to keep up with this top-tier play? And, honestly, does it matter?

Statistically, the likelihood of him playing high school sports, let alone collegiate, is pretty slim. So when is it too much? When do we cross the line between encouraging growth and squeezing out the joy?

The Schedule Struggle Is Real

Let’s talk practices. A typical evening starts at 4 p.m., with sessions lasting an hour or two. But sometimes, practices don’t begin until 7:30 p.m., wrapping up past 9—on a school night. On those nights, bedtime becomes a distant dream, and the next day feels like survival mode.

I get it—scheduling gym time for multiple teams is complicated. Someone’s always going to get the short straw. But as a parent, it’s tough to see your kid running on fumes the next day, especially when he’s only 8.

And don’t even get me started on game days. Last weekend, we had four tough games, with a 45-minute commute each way. That might be nothing for seasoned travel sports parents, but for us, it felt like a lot. One week, we drove nearly an hour to play…a team from our hometown. Gone are the simple days of local Boys & Girls Club games, where skipping a week didn’t feel like you were letting down the whole team.

Now, it seems like there’s always more—more training, more practice, more opportunities. And if you’re not doing it, you worry about falling behind.

Striking the Right Balance

My husband and I weren’t high-level athletes growing up. We played sports for fun, but it was never this serious. Maybe that’s why we don’t entirely understand the pressure some parents and kids feel to push further constantly.

Some kids seem to have an innate drive for sports. They want to run faster, train harder, and be the best. That’s just not where we are as a family right now—and that’s okay. Our priority is letting our son be 8 while also providing opportunities for him to grow and succeed.

Could he become a standout high school soccer player? Maybe. Will he be the next Lionel Messi? Probably not. And that’s fine. What matters is finding that delicate balance between encouraging him to reach his potential and letting him enjoy his childhood. Sports can do a lot of good in a child’s life, which we don’t want him to miss out on.

Are we nailing it? Honestly, the verdict’s still out. Like most things in parenting, it’s a constant work in progress. And hey, we’ve still got child number two to figure it all out, right?

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