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How Young is Too Young?


Eagleboy99

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So the parents are crazy, so, what do they do for a living?

I always remember that I could ski (snow), ice skate and walk.  

In my parents day this was normal behavior.

With today’s helicopter parents and social media judgment no one who posts a picture of “normal” life is immune of criticism, justified or not.

Don’t live life in a box, go out and explore.... It is in our genes.  

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another example of people pushing their kids too far too soon.

I've been coaching youth soccer (12 and under) for many years.  parents are always telling me thier kid needs to move up a level, needs challenged, needs more time at goalie,  yaddah yaddah.  I just tell people that you need to let your kids be kids and experience things at their own level.

 

  Yes, challenging them is good and I encourage that, especially with my girls.  but today's parents dont know how take their foot off the gas. mostly because they want to post on FB that their kid is excelling in whatever they are doing. 

Just an ego trip for the parents. 

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13 minutes ago, kylesullens said:

another example of people pushing their kids too far too soon.

I've been coaching youth soccer (12 and under) for many years.  parents are always telling me thier kid needs to move up a level, needs challenged, needs more time at goalie,  yaddah yaddah.  I just tell people that you need to let your kids be kids and experience things at their own level.

 

  Yes, challenging them is good and I encourage that, especially with my girls.  but today's parents dont know how take their foot off the gas. mostly because they want to post on FB that their kid is excelling in whatever they are doing. 

Just an ego trip for the parents. 

Just remind those parents that Michael Jordon was the #3 pick in the NBA draft.  Those with the #1 and #2 pick knew basketball......  Obviously they made a mistake.

Just remember that a woman’s youth coach was once accused of not knowing a thing about soccer when she was kind enough to be coaching her kid’s team and and the second time the parent came over after the game to state this obvious observation she took of her ball cap and sun glasses and....  Coach Garciaparra said  “I am Mia Hamm”.   Must have been a humbling  experience for the parent, if they knew who Mia was.....  

Edited by dlb
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I'm fine with it.

  • Kid wasn't freaked out - just the opposite
  • Dad was within arms length, heavily supervised.  Any slip of the kid and he would have caught him before he even fell
  • 5mph, kid is wearing an appropriate life vest.  We had our daughter in the lake with us (swimming) at that age - same style of life jacket, it flips them over and keeps the baby on their back

This is an issue because it is posted online and they want to have an issue with something.  How about putting that focus toward real abuse and not a supportive family, because it isn't hard to find parents that abuse their children in one way or another.

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I am not a fan.  The kid is just a "prop" in a video.  I would not use my kid as a prop just to get likes or go viral and tend to error on the side of caution when it comes to water safety.  For us the little can come surfing with us when they are comfortable jumping in or getting thrown in and going fully underwater.  Our 4 year old got to surf by herself when she could swim quickly enough to chase a surfboard down and hold the board up when in the water for visibility to other boaters. Just my opinion but if you break down barriers too early before the skills are there you are just asking for trouble.  

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When I said too young, I meant I wouldn’t do it with my kid. I’m not chastising the parents or “making it go viral”. Honestly it does look like the dad was ready to assist and the kid did have the correct life jacket on.. I’m just saying I wouldn’t personally do it. Cool for them for doing it hopefully the kid loves water skiing. 

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22 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

hopefully the kid loves water skiing

The waterski (and all sports areas I think) is rife with stories of kids pushed too hard, too young and then they just burn out and refuse to ski.  I know of one kid who went fishing when a big tournament was one; he'd have handily swept the podium.  Too much pressure from Mom.

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2 minutes ago, Eagleboy99 said:

The waterski (and all sports areas I think) is rife with stories of kids pushed too hard, too young and then they just burn out and refuse to ski.  I know of one kid who went fishing when a big tournament was one; he'd have handily swept the podium.  Too much pressure from Mom.

I know. That’s kinda why I said it the way I did. I haven’t pressured my daughter at all and she’s loving it so far! Asks to go all the time and doesn’t care the water is cold.

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What they do with their kid is none of my business or anyone else's.  With that said, my 18 year old was a top level baseball player when he was in little league, middle school and high school and still is a top level baseball player.  Several college scholarship offers from top D1 schools and major league try out offers.  He is pitching consistently in the 75-85 MPH range and even low 90 range.  He is completely burned out and has told me he has no interest in baseball and is done playing.  I totally support him and he has decided to go in the Army.  I think that is the problem, the kids are pushed to the max (i did it to my son) and get burned out. I have two younger kids, my 11 year old son is a great basketball player.  I do not even encourage him to play any sports.  At this point he does it because HE wants to.  I will not make the mistake twice and push my kids.  My buddies are still controlling every aspect of their kids lives when it comes to sports.  I see those kids today and they are complete robots and some of the most unhappy kids I have ever met.  And with no sports, we spend 150 hours a year on the boat and the kids love it.      

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@dwc032, +1

Not only burned out, but their bodies are done for as well.  Imagine these kids when they finally hit 60 when they're only 30 years of age because they've used up what their frames have in them.  I've got a buddy who was fairly sedentary our whole child hood and young adult hood.  I was the opposite (not because of my parents mind you... it was just me).  Now in midlife we're in our 40s and he can go through an Insanity workout without any real issues.  Twice a day.  I feel every joint injury and soft issue injury from the last 30 years, and have to throttle back. A lot.  I wish I hadn't pushed so hard when young.  Now that I can afford to do anything I want I'm held back by my own choices.  My family tried to get me to slow down, but teenagers....

That being said, a very careful stretching of children's comfort zone is pretty important when they're young.  They can get good impressions about their real ability and it'll boost confidence.  Those of us who spend all our time on the water are going to be way better at a gentle introduction than some once a summer warrior.  I have a vid of me surfing with my 18 month old. We taught him to ski on a trainer at 2.5 in a  quiet cove behind a seadoo basically idling while Grandpa cheered him on from another seadoo nearby.  If the child is confident in a vest by themselves in the water, and they're not put in a position to be freaked out by a hard fall (GO SLOW) or any real risk of an injury, then IMO it's a good thing in my book.  They shouldn't have to learn confidence and stamina at that same time though.  That's just a bad recipe.

So I guess the answer to how young is too young is... when they have their confidence built up from anything really that they'll be okay a moment by themselves in the lake, and want to give it a try.  They say no, then give up and pull them across the pool a few times.  They'll grow up eventually and push you....

Pool_surf_start.png.b93e2d504f5d1a66f4e511fd33ca753f.png

4 years old

BBB572E0-4668-4093-A398-CEC0F54F3FAB.thumb.jpeg.81b634783d69748add2dce58b5969585.jpeg

8 years old (it was a good summer to be locked down!!!!)

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This summer my youngest - who hadn't skied in years, just because... - asked it I would take her slalom.  Got her mom's ski and boom:  up first try in at least a half dozen years.  I was grinning ear-to-ear. :) But it was HER idea, not mine.  Sometimes kids just gotta be kids until they want to do something.  Forcing them  does no one any good IMHO.

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My kids and grandkids went through an early age skiing/tubing stage. When they got a bit older they went through a panic/fear stage starting to think and apply logic to what was happening. It was a setback that some, not all, never recovered from. Some now love skiing, but more could take it or leave it. They have a long road in front of them, so there is no need to push them when young.

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