Mass. doctor on the balancing act of fall sports

ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AGES 2 TO 17, AND IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE. BUT KIDS AND PARENTS ARE GETTING READY TO PREPARE FOR THE START OF THE FALL SPORTS SEASON. AND THAT MEANS THE BALANCING ACT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN AGAIN. HERE TO HELP US ALL GET THROUGH IT IS DOCTOR JONATHAN JENKINS, A CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST WITH MASS GENERAL SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT. DOCTOR JENKINS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. OF COURSE, OF COURSE. NOW WE ALL HAVE TO ASK. WE KNOW THAT IT DOES SEEM LIKE KIDS ARE DOING SO MUCH TODAY. I MEAN, IT’S NOT JUST GOING OUTSIDE AND PLAYING MORE ACTIVITIES THAN EVER. IS THAT YOUR EXPERIENCE? IT IS. PARENTS ARE WORKING MORE AND MORE. THE TYPICAL EIGHT HOUR WORKDAY IS GONE, SO YOU NEED EXTRA CHILDCARE. AND AT COMMUNITIES HAVE DONE A GREAT JOB OF PROVIDING AFTERSCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES, WHETHER IT BE SPORTS, MUSIC, ART AND WE WANT TO GET THESE KIDS INVOLVED IN THE ACTIVITIES, BUT WE CAN’T GET THEM INVOLVED IN TOO MANY BECAUSE THAT LEADS TO FATIGUE, DISINTEREST AND BURNOUT. OKAY. AND WE KNOW THAT PLAYING A SPORT CAN HAVE REAL BENEFITS, LIKE BUILDING YOUR CONFIDENCE, IMPROVING PHYSICAL FITNESS, WHICH IS SO IMPORTANT. WE DON’T WANT COUCH POTATOES, BUT IT CAN STILL IT CAN STILL BE STRESSFUL FOR BOTH THE PARENTS AND THE KIDS. ARE THERE THINGS THAT THE PLAYERS AND THE PARENTS SHOULD KEEP IN MIND TO KIND OF STAY ON BALANCE? WELL, I THINK ONE IS THAT YOUR KID IS NOT A PRO ATHLETE, RIGHT? THEY HAVE OPPORTUNITIES AND OBLIGATIONS OUTSIDE OF SPORTS LIKE SCHOOL AND LIKE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. WE REALLY WANT TO PRIORITIZE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT WHEN WE HAVE A KID. NUMBER TWO, DON’T OVERSHADOW YOUR KID. YOU MAY HAVE HAD FANTASTIC ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS WHEN YOU WERE IN SCHOOL. YOU MAY HAVE WON NCAA OR STATE CHAMPIONSHIP. IT’S YOUR KID’S TIME TO SHINE NOW. GIVE THEM THAT OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN AND GROW. AND THEN WE TALK ABOUT GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT. YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM YOUR LOSSES, PROBABLY MORE THAN YOUR WINS. IF WE USE SPORTS AS AN AVENUE FOR HELPING KIDS GROW RESILIENCE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO RECOVER FROM MISTAKES, THEN WE’RE PROMOTING AND DEVELOPING REALLY SMART INTELLIGENCE KIDS. YEAH, THE COMPETITION ISN’T THE ONLY GOAL IN ALL OF THIS. AND AS WE’VE SAID, IT’S REALLY A BALANCING ACT. WE WANT THE KIDS TO DO WELL ON THE FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM. IF THE GRADES SLIP, CLEARLY THERE MIGHT BE A PROBLEM. BUT WHAT ARE THE OTHER TELLTALE SIGNS? THE GRADES SLIP. THAT’S DEFINITELY A PROBLEM, BUT I LIKE TO LOOK FOR FATIGUE. WHEN WE THINK ABOUT FATIGUE, WE’RE THINKING PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, MENTAL. WHEN WE DO SPORTS. SPORTS IS STRESSFUL ON OUR BODY. IT’S A STRESS WE INVITE BECAUSE WE ENJOY SPORTS, BUT WE REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT, IS MY CHILD INVOLVED IN TOO MANY ACTIVITIES AND DO THEY HAVE TIME TO RECOVER EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY, SPIRITUALLY SO THAT THEY’RE ABLE TO TAKE ON SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY, SPORTS THE NEXT DAY? WHATEVER OTHER ACTIVITIES THEY HAVE? WHAT IF THEY DON’T WANT TO DO THE ACTIVITY, THE SPORT, AND YOU’RE REALLY KIND OF PUSHING THEM? HOW DO YOU KNOW, LIKE BACK OFF OR THIS IS GOING TO BE GOOD FOR THEM IN THE LONG RUN? I THINK IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO START HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR KIDS BEFORE THE ACTIVITY STARTS. OKAY, WE’RE SIGNING YOU UP FOR LACROSSE. WHAT ARE THE TIMES GOING TO BE WHEN WE FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO STOP? WHETHER IT’S US AS PARENTS TELLING YOU THAT WE NEED TO SLOW DOWN, OR WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOU WILL TELL US THAT YOU NEED A BREAK? BECAUSE AS A CHILD, WE WANT TO TEACH THEM TO KNOW WHEN THEY NEED TO GO HARDER, BE ABLE TO HAVE THAT RESILIENCE, AND ALSO KNOW WHEN TO QUIT BECAUSE SOMETHING IS EITHER HARMING THEM PHYSICALLY OR HARMING THEM EMOTIONALLY. OKAY. THANK YOU, JONATHAN JENKINS, DOCTOR FROM THE MASS GENERAL SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT