Sunday, June 30, 2013
The Changing Face of Writing
Have I become one of those "old men" who is resistant to change? I love texting. I believe e-mail was a brilliant invention that allows us to instantly connect with others across the globe. Unfortunately, I also believe they have robbed us of our ability to write. Don't get me wrong, I can LOL at a great joke, and OMG I cannot believe it snowed on May 3. And U R correct if you think I'm being picky. But for Hvn Sk (Heaven's sake; I just made it up :), as my college coach, Mike Foster, used to tell me, you play the way you practice. If you don't spell correctly and use proper punctuation in an email or text, what makes you think you will be able to turn it on when it really matters?!?!?! I know, I'm on a soap box, but let's face it, U prolly stopped rding a long time ago. And BTW, it's my blog, so I get to share MY thouts. Want 2 share yours? Leave a comment or, better yet, start your own blog. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING GOOD AND HOLY, spell it write (I mean right :)
My take: It's all about the game
I read a great article this morning in ESPN The Magazine about Dylan Moses, the 15-year-old Louisiana football phenom who had already received scholarship offers from five major schools, including LSU and Alabama. In fact, the whole issue is about youth sports and the parents who encourage/coach/push their kids. I 'm eager to read the rest of the magazine. This is a HUGE topic to me, one my wife and I wrestle with constantly. How much is too much? Too much practice, too much travel, too much pressure, too much exposure. On the flip side, are we doing enough to give our kids a chance to compete?
We have three children, a 12-year-old daughter and sons, ages 9 and 7. Our daughter is in competitive dance (yes, it IS a sport), our 9-year-old swam until last year and has caught the dance bug, and our 7-year-old is into soccer and baseball. We have friends who have dance kids who do up to 10 events in competitions, including solos, duets, trips, and group dances. We have other friends whose sons and daughters are on traveling ball clubs that play up to 60-80 games in a summer or compete every weekend in three-day soccer tournaments in the fall. This works for them, and I am in awe of how they manage it.
We take a different approach. Our daughter does two dances in each competition. Our son will eventually do the same (we may let them go to three, including the company line). Our youngest plays parks and rec soccer and baseball, with less than 20 games, all played in the area. When he reaches middle school, I'll let him go to a couple college-sponsored camps.
Which approach is better? You got me! I didn't get a handbook when I became a father. There is research to support starting kids in competitive leagues and having them focus on one or two sports while in elementary school. There is other research that stresses the need to let kids experiment and not to play too much, lest they burn out or get injured from overuse. I imagine I'll just continue to read, watch, and study the words of experts on the issue.
One thing I will NOT waffle on, though, is the fact that they are kids playing a game. And in the immortal words of Jack Elliott, Tom Selleck's character in 1992's "Mr. Baseball", "games are supposed to be fun." When and if the fun ends, it'll be time to try something else!
We have three children, a 12-year-old daughter and sons, ages 9 and 7. Our daughter is in competitive dance (yes, it IS a sport), our 9-year-old swam until last year and has caught the dance bug, and our 7-year-old is into soccer and baseball. We have friends who have dance kids who do up to 10 events in competitions, including solos, duets, trips, and group dances. We have other friends whose sons and daughters are on traveling ball clubs that play up to 60-80 games in a summer or compete every weekend in three-day soccer tournaments in the fall. This works for them, and I am in awe of how they manage it.
We take a different approach. Our daughter does two dances in each competition. Our son will eventually do the same (we may let them go to three, including the company line). Our youngest plays parks and rec soccer and baseball, with less than 20 games, all played in the area. When he reaches middle school, I'll let him go to a couple college-sponsored camps.
Which approach is better? You got me! I didn't get a handbook when I became a father. There is research to support starting kids in competitive leagues and having them focus on one or two sports while in elementary school. There is other research that stresses the need to let kids experiment and not to play too much, lest they burn out or get injured from overuse. I imagine I'll just continue to read, watch, and study the words of experts on the issue.
One thing I will NOT waffle on, though, is the fact that they are kids playing a game. And in the immortal words of Jack Elliott, Tom Selleck's character in 1992's "Mr. Baseball", "games are supposed to be fun." When and if the fun ends, it'll be time to try something else!
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