Pop Warner is a league common in most towns. It may be known by other names, such as pee wee football. Specifically, Pop Warner is a non-profit organization that runs football, cheer-leading, and dance programs for kids. The kids participating in these programs range from 5 to 16 years of age. But many parents and coaches don’t understand the fact that Pop Warner (as well as other kids and youth programs) is not a professional league!
I get dumb-founded when I see a child in my office who injured himself or herself playing one of these sports, and the parents’ first question is when can they return to play. I admit this is a valid concern but it is not the right priority. The priority is healing. Children are not like adults: they are still growing. A fractured bone in a child raises a greater risk of harm if it fractures the growth plate. If that happens, there is a chance the bone will stop growing. The goal is to repair the bone before discussion can even happen about returning to play. Many parents admire their children’s athletic skills and push for an earlier return to the field. Many arguments arise in my exam rooms when I say no. Your child may be the best soccer player among 7-year-old across the nation, but that trauma still needs to heal. And I can’t just tape that sprain so they won’t be forced to miss Sunday’s game.
And it is not just the parents but the coaches as well. Many parents bring their injured or sick child because they want a note to give to the coach that they can’t play. They tell me the coach is giving them a difficult time because he/she needs that 9-year-old on the field for the next game or they will surely lose. I’m sure most coaches want to win. It is human nature. But, forcing a child to play before they are fully recovered is just wrong. And it is OK to lose that game. It is not the Super Bowl and they are not playing on prime time TV with million dollar ads being ruined. They will survive and get over it. And, in fact, the kids may learn a lesson from losing. So, please let them heal first and not put such intense pressure on them and make them bear the blame for the team losing.
Did you ever see violet arguments spring up at your child’s soccer game? I have. And the parent fans so easily turn on the referee. In the league where my kids played, most of the refs were still teens themselves. It is OK if they occasionally make a bad call. They are learning too. It is not the World Cup.
In order for children to get the most out of their athletic endeavors, they need to be allowed to be kids. Don’t scream at them if they dropped the ball. Let them lose gracefully. And when they win, let them do that gracefully as well. Be your child’s supporter but not the shame to bear if they can’t play well or at all. And let’s put the priority back into children’s’ and youth sports programs: keeping them healthy and letting them grow physically and emotionally.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2015 Linda Girgis, MD, FAAFP
