Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the media about the amount of money parents are spending on extracurricular activities for their children. When this story is featured, there is often a financial expert present to stress the importance of putting away savings for your child’s education. Statistics get thrown around about the extremely low odds that your child will ever get to play in the NHL, NBA, MLB, etc. Because this level of play is not likely, the message is always clear, parents should reevaluate where they focus their finances.
This is a debate I have found myself in several times over the course of my life. On a personal level, I have 3 children, who have all played sports at a competitive level and have studied music and arts programs. On a professional level, I have been responsible for recreational and educational programming for children and youth, nationally and internationally.
This argument is one that I VERY strongly disagree with.
When we talk about young people in sports, we simply argue that they likely will not make it to the highest level of play. Ok, fine; this isn’t entirely false. Most children will not grow up to be the next Gretzky, James, Curry, Ronaldo. They won’t. While that can sometimes be a difficult pill for parents to swallow, I think most parents actually accept that as the truth. What I have difficulty accepting is why we are not talking about all the other benefits of activity and teamwork?
– Physical activity/exercise
– Health promotion
– Social development/peer interaction
– Quality family time
– An opportunity to stay out of trouble.
– Conflict resolution
– Stress management/self care
– Discipline
– Focus
– Skill development
I could go on for a very long time here, but I think you get the point.
Yes, education is expensive and costs will likely continue to rise as our children get older, but there are so many more options now to help subsidize the cost. There are several grants and scholarships to apply for and many young people are choosing to study through paid apprenticeship programs. But let’s flip that argument for a minute and consider that not all children will make it to, or choose, traditional Post-Secondary studies. Without a crystal ball to predict who and what your child will grow up to be, it makes perfect sense for parents to focus on the present; the first 18 years leading up to post secondary. My concern is with providing the best opportunity for my children NOW so they have the skills necessary to be successful in a school environment; many of which they will develop through involvement in these extracurricular activities.
So maybe my children won’t play in the NHL; I personally don’t care if they ever get that high. BUT what if they are good enough to earn a partial or full scholarship to support them in post secondary? What if they are able to play at a professional level outside of the NHL? Since when have the NBA, MLB, WNBA, NHL, etc been the only goal for sports? What if they don’t want to play professionally but love it so much that they allow it to shape the rest of their careers. Coaches, sports doctors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, sports agents, physical education teachers, personal trainers, nutritionists, so many professions begin with a passion for sports. A passion that often starts early in life; through participation in the very activities that we argue spending money on.
You see, rather than criticizing the choice a parent has made, what we should be talking about is why these opportunities cost so much in the first place. Why parents are even having to make a decision between paying for their children’s sports and saving for their post secondary education. Why some children have the opportunity to do both, and some can’t do either. We should be looking at what we can do to promote these skills and allow opportunities for ALL children to participate so that parents don’t have to make the difficult choice or financial sacrifice.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong advocate for education and stress it’s importance, both at home and in my professional career. I am. But we live in a world that forgets the value of life experience and diversity. We live in a world that contributes billions of dollars to health care, but very little to the activities that could help build habits and lifestyles that could prevent some of the most deadly diseases/illnesses we are seeing. We live in a world where extra curricular activities have become the only way some children can even consider post secondary education as an option.
Maybe, just maybe, we are asking the wrong questions.
And miles to go before I sleep 