Confessions of Guilt For Not Taking My Kids to Youth Wrestling Tournaments
There are several big youth wrestling tournaments coming up over Memorial Day weekend. However, my sons will not be competing and I must confess that this makes me feel guilty.
My guilt is a result of the #1 emotion that drives youth wrestling parents…THE FEAR OF MISSING OUT!
There is no doubt that recently my fear of missing out has gotten stronger. Over the last few weeks freestyle season began ramping into full swing. My sons did a few of these tournaments this spring and did enjoy the experience. However, they weren’t very excited about giving up most of their spring Saturdays to continue to compete week after week.
Although they weren’t direct, they gave me enough hints to tell me this. Their body language was enough to tell me they didn’t want to spend most of their Memorial Day weekend at a wrestling tournament this year. I’m thankful that I got the message, but I sure do wish I didn’t feel so guilty about them missing out.
Dealing with the Parental Guilt
This guilt is exacerbated when you see all of the podium and medal pictures of your friend’s kids on social media. After missing the Georgia Freestyle and Greco state tournament last week I caught myself feeling sad. As I scrolled through pictures of those who competed I was simultaneously happy for those who did well and sad that my kids weren’t there.
The only thing that makes me feel better when I slide into these “fear of missing out” moods is to remember that youth wrestling is a marathon, not a sprint. Missing a few youth tournaments during the spring and instead letting my boys ride bikes, go camping, and hang out with their cousins is more than likely the right choice for my family.
The fact of the matter is that every child is different. Some children want to compete every week, 52 weeks a year and some children don’t. As a parent, there are only two things you can do:
- Recognize what type of child you have by spotting their strengths
- Nurture your child based on their innate personality type
You can’t let the fear of missing out drive your decisions. If you do, you risk sprinting a marathon, winning in the short run, and losing in the long run.