Richard Rooney M.D, on Life Lessons Kids Learn From Youth Sports

From flag football to little league baseball or softball, youth sports are a lot more than just an extracurricular activity for your child to get involved in after school. Playing sports teaches kids multiple lessons that are essential to their social and emotional development. Many of the lessons that kids learn from playing organized sports can be transferred into their everyday lives, and often their futures. Here are a few of the valuable life lessons your child may take away from playing youth sports.

Discipline
Sports are a commitment, and commitments take discipline to keep up with. If you sign your child up for a team sport or activity, they will need to be ready for training, practices, and games. Be sure they understand the commitment and are prepared to live up to it. By being diligent with attending all sport related events and meetings, it will teach your child how to maintain consistency. This will help them achieve success in the future when they are entering college or the workforce.

Leadership
If your child thoroughly enjoys engaging in team sporting activities, they may want to move forward towards a leadership position, like the team captain. As a team captain, your child may help the coach with different calls or plays, giving them a perspective on leading and decision making. Additionally, they will be looked at as a leader by their peers. Their job is to help motivate and inspire their teammates to perform to their best abilities.

Teamwork
Depending on the sport, teamwork may be essential. In a game such as football or hockey, every player relies on each other as a team. The easier it is for the team to work together simultaneously, the better their performance potential. This will teach your child to communicate with others, problem solve and work together towards a common goal.

Respect
While you practice teaching respect in your household, sports are a great way to help your child develop respect for their peers and authority figures such as a teacher or coach. Learning how to establish a sense of respect early on will assist your child later on in life, especially in future professional situations.

Competition/Sportsmanship
Kids are competitive; however, there's a difference between healthy and unhealthy competition. Team sports will teach your child how to compete to their highest potential, while also exhibiting sportsmanship and humility. Competition is a great motivator, but it’s also important your child knows that winning, although fun, isn’t everything. Working as a team with other kids will teach your child how to win (or lose) properly, and practice good sportsmanlike conduct.

Youth sports are great for kids to get involved in as they grow and mature. Not only can they contribute to an overall healthy lifestyle, but the life lessons can be great tools for your child to use throughout their future.

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This article was originally published on richardrooneymd.org

About the Author

Richard Rooney M.D. is a board certified orthopaedic spine surgeon who works in Seattle, Washington at his own private practice. He resides in Seattle, WA with his wife and two sons. Throughout his career, Richard Rooney M.D. has distinguished himself as a renowned orthopaedic surgeon. He truly loves the immersive nature of his work and the fact that he's able to help people live better, less painful lives. Through his practice, Seattle Spine Group, Richard focuses on treatment for back pain, neck pain, radiculopathy, and sciatica. They recently introduced an entire spectrum of spine care and stem cell therapy care with a focus on disk replacement.

When Richard Rooney M.D. isn't busy at work as a spine surgeon, he likes to spend his time outdoors with his wife and sons, enjoying all the natural and manmade beauty that his home state of Washington has to offer.
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