I remember when I was growing up I started playing one sport recreationally when I was 4 years-old. Once a week for two and a half months we would have a friendly game against another team and I remember it being really fun. For me, sports became more competitive around middle school when I was playing two school sports and one travel sport but even then, and through high school, I do not ever remember feeling a lot of pressure on myself in any one area of my life (sports, school, friends, etc.)
One of the things that I have noticed in my practice is the amount of pressure that kids have on them these days. It seems as though kids have to have a 4.0 GPA, be the best in their sport/activity which they participate in almost all year around most days of the week, they need to be socially successful, do volunteer work, and the list goes on and on.
The article below really peaked my interest because it reminded me of things/issues I hear in my work with young athletes and the impact that it has on the athlete, parents, family and so on.
Read the article below to hear some interesting statistics and perspectives of youth sports:
http://time.com/4913687/how-kids-sports-became-15-billion-industry/?xid=emailshare