Hard Work and Tough Competition Does NOT Cause Youth Sports Burnout
For whatever reason, many parents think burnout is a result of a sport either being too hard or too competitive. This could not be further from the truth. Hard work and competition never has and never will drive kids away from things they enjoy doing.
On the contrary, when a kid enjoys doing an activity, hard work and tough competition make them enjoy it even more. The only time kids have a problem with hard work and tough competition is when an authority figure forces them to do something they don’t want to do.
If you ever have the feeling that a child is burning out because of hard work or tough competition, I urge you to rethink that conclusion. More than likely the root cause is either a nagging injury causing a consistent drop in performance, lack of interest, or helicopter parenting.
Undoubtedly, hard work and tough competition is the essence of what makes sports fun for those who enjoy playing sports. Therefore, if a child doesn’t enjoy playing sports after years of a parent investing in them to play, the parent needs to look within for the root cause and not blame the child.