How Do I Know if My Child is Overcommitted to Sports?

As children get older, the pressure for them to participate in and excel at multiple sports activities seems to increase every year. Club teams. Select teams. ​Camps. Clinics. This means more and more waking hours are devoted to sports.

How do you know if your child is too involved in athletics? Here are a few telltale warning signs:

• Is your child always tired? This can be a sure sign that he is being pushed too hard. Fatigue doesn’t just signal a lack of sleep, it also can be a sign of stress brought on by too many activities.
• Is your child no longer excited by practicing or playing in games? This could be a sign that he is on the verge of burnout, and that could lead to him wanting to quit sports altogether.
• Is your child completing his or her homework in the car on the way to school every morning? That’s a sure sign his sports activities are interfering with his study time.

The good news is that as children get more involved in sports as they get older, they should also be developing better time management skills. Taking a common-sense approach can help you determine whether or not your child is overcommitted to sports. Keep an eye out for these symptoms - finding a proper balance allows kids to do well in school, enjoy sports and still have time to just be kids.