I was walking into Target recently and I saw the following car magnet on the back of a truck that stated: “No money, no time, no life, my kids play lax.” That, same evening I saw another magnet on the back of a SUV that stated: “My daughters dances, I have no life.”

As a parent of three kids I see the humor in these magnets- the schedule and cost are crazy; and most days not realistic. After I thought more deeply and got past the humor I wondered, Is this really healthy? It almost seems concerning. Is this dedication to a child’s sport healthy for the family? If we have no time and no life, due to such commitment to our child’s sports life, how do we connect? How do we develop our personal connections with our spouse, kids and our family?

Before I continue, let me just share I am in this too. I struggle with the schedule, cost, commitment and time sacrifice all the time. The reality of such intense sports schedules and expectations is just seeming a bit overboard to me these days!

My youngest was on a travel soccer team, that ended up costing around $800 for soccer from the end of August to early November – for an 8 year old. What is wrong with me?? Is my guy really that special? Well of course he is – but not that special! Am I alone in this thinking??

It is exciting to see my kids score a goal or complete an awesome play! Tears came to my eyes after watching my daughter’s cheer competition!

There are some talented kids and the more competitive environment is a good fit. Many young people shine on the field! The field is the place they succeed and excel. Yet with the intensity, there must be some type of sacrifice; and I wonder is the sacrifice worth it?

I want to acknowledge how important the volunteer coaches/leaders (usually parents) are to our kids! These dedicated volunteers share their time and talents with sports associations to instruct and motive our youth! We have had awesome coaches over the years! These dedicated coaches have taught my kids all sorts of athletic skills, as well as how to work as a team, how to win and lose, and develop sportsmanship!!

With all this time, attention, expense and sacrifice: Will our young athletes actually play in college or win a scholarship? What is the chance a high school athlete will actually play a sport for the NCAA? Here are some facts from the NCAA website:

“Many boys and girls grow up dreaming of playing a sport in college and beyond. But of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school athletics in the United States, only 480,000 compete as NCAA schools. And of that group, only a fraction will realize their goal of becoming a professional or Olympic athlete.” (NCAA.org)

Here are a few stats from NCAA.org website, to view the whole chart that includes division break down click here:

2018 Probability of competing Beyond High School figures and Methodology:

Sport Overall percentage High school to NCAA

Soccer (women) 7.1%

Soccer (men) 5.5%

Basketball (women) 3.8%

Basketball (men) 3.4%

Lacrosse (women) 12.6%

Lacrosse (men) 12.4%

Just wondering if our local sports associations and we parents are realistic?? The current youth sports culture I experience and in many areas across the United States seem to suggest we must dedicate a great amount of time, effort, and resources to youth sports teams.

What is the goal when participating in a sport (house, club, travel, high school)? Is the goal for healthy living? Physical activity? Team connectivity? To grow in sportsmanship? To play in college? To become a professional athlete?

If our entire life is around our kids sports schedule- like the magnets suggest - What message are we sending? What are we telling our kids? What are we telling our family? Is this ok??

When I am high fiving my husband on his way out to a game and my way in from a practice – is this putting our family life first?

The commitment to sports just seems so extreme for our youth who may also need time to relax, learn, rejuvenate, do homework, be bored, sleep (8 to 10 hours- check out American Association of Pediatrics Sleep Guidelines click here), and grow into independent achieving young adults!! What is the cost of having such demanding sports (extracurricular activities) schedules?

Are families learning and growing from these experiences or are we just making it? It’s probably a bit of both!

What are we families sacrificing or are we sacrificing - when our life is so hyper focus on our child’s/children’s sports schedule and is it worth it??