Being a sports parent

With the classes done we’re now staring at the long school break with the hope of getting our children to spend the more than two months of vacation doing worthwhile activities.

I met many parents, who complain that their children are glued to the computer or whatever gadgets are available at home or a neighborhood haunt during the school break.

These days, it is easy to find activities for the children as there are many schools and centers that are offering programs to keep them busy while we go about earning money to feed the family.

Just to be very honest with those who are yet to experience getting their kids into sports for the first time this school break, it won’t be as easy as dropping them off at school early morning and fetching them after class dismissal late in the afternoon.

If you want to get your kids into sports, you must also learn to find time to watch their practices and their games and learn about the sport itself.

* * *

I am not trying to discourage parents from getting their children into sports. I am letting you know the reality so you can also prepare yourself.

I am lucky to have a work schedule that gives me lots of free time in the mornings, which allowed me to be with my son when he started to go to formal sports training 11 years ago at the age of 4 under the tutelage of former national football team member Glenn Ramos.

Since then, the every school break has been spent in sports clinics or participating in sporting activities, which also got me back to playing football and doing other stuff that I would not have done if not for my son.

My daughter, who is six years younger than her brother, seems to need a little prodding to seriously learn one sport.

Although she loves to go swimming and play badminton with our neighbors from across the street in our village, she still has to agree to enroll in a real program to learn a sport.

One more thing that you should never do is force your children to learn a sport as it might cause more harm than good.

* * *

Getting your kids into sports will cost you money. Aside from the fees that you need to pay, you would also need to buy them the proper gear and equipment.

It is recommended that you give them the right equipment and gear to prevent injuries. Many sports injuries are caused by using the wrong shoes while others are due to the use of equipment like rackets that are not for your child’s size.

There are now many sports equipment available in Cebu, which means that it has become cheaper to acquire them compared to our time when we were kids.

There are also many groups that are helping the newbies get the right stuff to use. The Internet forums are a rich source of information on how to get hold of such equipment.

Always bear in mind that getting your children into sports requires dedication, not only on their part, but more importantly also yours.

* * *

MILESTONES: Belated greetings to those who celebrated yesterday especially my Tao sis Marian Donayre, Niño Roberto Gonzales, and The Freeman’s Pepe Sollano.

Today’s greetings go to Jose Venancio ‘Banjo’ Ramirez, Johann Young, Jo Ann Avenido-Arevalo, and Fatima Montesclaros.

Advance greetings go to Julius Legaspi, who is celebrating tomorrow.

More power to all of you!