Conference moira::parenting

I'm in the same boat - I was about to sign my 3-yr-old son up for soccer, but
2 things changed my mind. One, was our experience with swimming "class" this
summer - he was fine as long as it was "play"-oriented, but as soon as someone
started in with instructions/rules, he seemed to resist it and didn't enjoy it
as much. The instructors said age 4 is usually when kids respond better to 
being with a non-parent and taking directions better. Secondly, after a
discussion with a neighbor whose 2 (grown) sons went through the local
baseball/soccer programs - he felt strongly that you shouldn't push it (he
suggested starting at 6 or so!), *unless* the child clearly demonstrates the
desire to learn more about a particular sport.

I will probably revisit the issue next Spring/Summer. Each kid is different,
AND I do think it depends on the environment he/she lives in. For those New
England winters, I would say having some regular activity to look forward to
would make the cold season more bearable. Ha-ha! As a Boston transplant to
northern California, I truly appreciate the 9 months of "summer" vs. the other
way around...

I'm interested to hear others' opinions on this topic.

-Cori

    
    In my experience, 4 is about the 'breaking point'.  Before that, you
    can get your child involved in many short-term activities, but anything
    lasting more than about 8 lessons, is probably beyond their interest
    level.  At about 4, they seem to be a little more dedicated, but still
    not something I'd go at for more than 3 mos or so.
    
    Feedback from my kids has pretty much been that they don't want to do
    'just one thing' all the time.  So, if you can get in a "Y" program or
    something that changes focus frequently (gymnastics one month, karate
    next month, swimming next month etc), you might have more luck.  And by
    the dead of winter, neither of them wants to go out for anything unless
    they have to - a stimulating/interesting daycare seemed to be all they
    wanted/needed, and they like just sitting home on w/ends, enjoying
    being home.
    
    Your mileage may vary....

    
    I tend to agree with Patty.  I think we've tried most
    of the sports she mentions.
    
We have been taking advantage of the sports offered at 
the YMCA in Franklin, MA.  So far Steven (4yr,10mos) has taken 
swimming lessons, 123 Grow classes (music and movement type 
program) and this spring he tried T-Ball.

He also participated in Gymnastics at Dragon Gymnastics in 
Bellingham.  They offered a preschool program (parent/child)
for 10 weeks this past winter/spring on Fridays.  It worked out 
great for us since I am home on Fridays.  Each week they used
different equipment (rings, rope, trampoline,vault, horse).  
They started with stretching exercises, then helped each child 
on the equipment.  At the end of the class everyone got a 
sticker and picture to color of the new "trick" they learned 
(bridge, lunge etc.).  Each class was 45 minutes long.

T-Ball was another big hit.  Probably because there was
parent participation here too.  He loved getting a team
hat, shirt and picture.

We'd like to sign him up for something this fall.  We're
going to let him make the final decision.  In our area there seem to 
be alot of choices for preschool sports activities.  

The Y is offering Soccer in the fall and Basketball
in the winter and swimming.  There's also a bowling league for 
pre-schoolers at the new candlepin bowling alley...and gymnastics
at the Dragon Gymnastics.
    
    BTW, The local Karate school I checked into starts their classes 
    at age 5.
    
    		Linda

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart.

For the record, my daughter started soccer when she was almost 9
and played for about 3 years.  She started figure skating when
she was about 10 and still participates.

My son started soccer when he was five, and still plays (just
turned 11).  He started hockey when he was 7 and still plays.  He
played one season of T-Ball (started when he was 7) and two
seasons of baseball.

They both did gymnastics when they were in pre-school.  I highly
recommend it for an entry "sport".  There are no complicated
"rules" to learn or abide by.  It's really structured as a fun
time.

IMO, soccer is by far the best entry level organized team sport. 
The rules are quite simple, and most kids have the important
skills: running and kicking.  Where some kids have "problems" is
understanding team concepts and concentrating on the game.  They
play "magnet soccer" (10 kids are clustered around the ball) or
their attention wanders (of course that's only a problem if you
take it seriously, but most often SOMEBODY does, maybe the coach,
one of the other players or parents).  As a result, some
programs, including my town's, have modified the game at the
entry level so that there are no referees, scores, aren't kept,
and there are only three or four players on a side).  Many, many,
kids aren't ready at five, or six, or even seven.  And it's no
big deal if a child doesn't start until they're six or seven or
eight, because the sophisticated skills haven't really developed
yet i.e. late starters with good athletic ability will catch up;
early starters without good athletic ability won't get any long
term advantage.  My conclusion:  start if your kid wants to and
is ready, but don't sweat it if they have no interest.

IMO baseball is awful as an entry level sport.  The rules are
extremely complicated, and the fine motor and eye-hand
coordination skills just don't develop until nine or ten, or even
later in some kids.  Hope there are some baseball enthusiasts
here that will present the other side (perhaps Linda .3; T-ball is 
a form of baseball).  

As for winter sports, there is no point in pushing skating.  Some
of the kids who played with my son started as young as five, and
yet he caught up with them within six months to a year.  He is a
very good athlete, but he wasn't an isolated example; most kids
just don't progress a lot when they are five or six.  My daughter
also caught up with, and passed girls who had started several
years younger.  Conclusion: if your child WANTS to, there's no
particular harm, and you may have prodigy on your hands.  But
they don't lose much by waiting a year or two.  I'd suggest
anywhere from six to nine, five at the outside.  Another reason
for not starting skating or hockey too early is that they are the
most expensive of all sports (except maybe polo :^) ), so why
start forking out huge hunks of cash sooner than you have to?

As for swimming, our town has a height restriction for swimming
lessons; you have to be 42" at the mouth, or in other words be
able to stand up in the shallow end with your face above the
water, so that kind of limits it.  My observation of swimming is
that there is a higher percentage who are unwilling (scared) to
do ANYTHING than in other sports.  Most entry level swim programs
accommodate this, though.  Don't push it, though.  I believe that
most adults who are scared of the water had a frightening
experience as children.  So if you push it too hard, it may mean
that the child will NEVER enjoy swimming.

    Hi,
    
    My 5 1/2-year old son has expressed an interest in rollerblading and
    skateboarding.  We thought that might be a good family sport, so I'm
    looking for information about it.
    
    Does anyone know if there are any places to rent rollerblades and
    related equipment in the Shrewsbury/Worcester, MA area?
    
    If we decide to purchase equipment, can you recommend a good place to 
    buy?  Is a sporting goods store a better place to buy, then say Toys R
    Us and Bradlees?  
    
    What besides the rollerblades, helmets, knee and elbow pads would we
    need?  Can you recommend any special features or brands to look for?
    
    Thanks for any information you can provide.
    
    Sheryl
                                                     

    
    re .5
    
    	I don't know about Shrewbury, but I can say something about
    rollerblades/rollerblading in general.
    
    	You can rollerblade on any smoothly flat paved surfaces, like
    parking lots, tennis courts, etc. But beware of cracks and pebbles
    and stay away from sandy areas. Sand can get ruin in the bearings
    if not removed on a regular basis.
    
    	Just like any sports equipment like bikes and skiis, there are
    different "levels" for rollerblades. The more money you spend the
    better quality and higher tech the equipment you get. Some people
    buy their bikes in Toys R Us and some people buy their bikes from a 
    bike shop. The brands/skates you find in a sport shop are state of the art 
    stuff. They cost a lot more $, but if you get what you pay for.
    My recommendation - not knowing your goal - is to get the bottom
    of the line skates from high tech manufacturers like
    Rollerblades, Koflachs(sp), Bauers, etc. You'll find them in sport
    shops, as well as Lechmere. They are better designed, have better 
    safety features and are more likely to be upgradable - meaning they'll
    take different size wheels and bearings. They have better resale value
    and have parts readily available. If you decide to get involved with
    free-styles, jumps and half-pipes stuff in the future, get the middle
    to top of the line skates. 
    
    	For the first few times, wear jeans/jean shorts since you'll fall
    on your rear if you don't know how to skate. Sometimes simple cotton
    gloves/golf gloves/batting gloves/bike gloves/driving gloves will help 
    to protect your hands from scratches. 
    
    	HAve fun...
    
    
    Eva
    
      
    
    	
    

    One critical piece of equipment for Rollerblading is WRIST-GUARDS.  The
    most common injury in this type of sport is a broken wrist.  As the
    parent of an avid Rollerblader he won't leave the house without them!
    
    Linda

    
    Oh, yes. The wrist guards are a must.
    I didn't go thru .5 list  thoroughly.
    
    
    Eva

I got my daughter wrist guards but she hates wearing them - she can't get up 
after she's fallen with them.

If you might go to a skating rink with them one place we went to inspected the 
rollerblades for protruding bolts.

We had to get new rollerblades recently. We got them from Caldor - $50 sale 
price. They had some that were $50 regular price I assume we got a better pair
but I don't really know much about them. I don't want a pair that are going to 
break and I'm not going to pay $90+ for something that will be grown out of in
a year or so.

The skating rink in Hudson rents blades for use there. If I remember it's $5
per kid and a parent is free plus $3 surcharge for blades over skates. A rink 
is lot gentler place to fall than on pavement.

Rowena always wears Knee and elbow pads when skating on the "street".

As to skate boards - I know nothing.

Oh yeh! ehn we got Rowena's new blades I got some for me too but I haven't been
out on them yet. The children might laugh ;-)

Peter.

    
    Peter,
    
    	>The children might laugh...
    
    	I've never skated before, not even rollerskates, before I got
    my blades. I live in a development with a gentle sloping bend. The 
    first time  I went out, I didn't know how to turn, neither did I know
    how to stop or slow down. There were a group of kids around the bend 
    and I was screaming something like WATCH OUT as I was flying (seemingly) 
    down the street. I stopped by running into someone's lawn and plopped
    down on the grass. It was so funny... at least I thought so, my
    duahgter was EMBARASSED! The children came over to see if I was OK
    and started giving me FREE lessons. Some of the boys are hockey buffs.
    None of them laughed at me. Now, my daughter thinks I'm cooool...
    
    
    Eva
    

Eva,
    That's funny. I still haven't been out on them. Stopping might be hard. It
looks different from roller skates. I've seen people using them at the rink and 
stopping is something I'll have to learn.

    We were in Central Park last Saturday watching New Yorkers at play. There 
was a lot of roller-bladders and there were even volunteers running a stopping 
clinic. Actually there were blade rentals but I didn't want to take the time for
it. The rentals included protective gear and were $15 for two hours or $25 for 
the day.

Peter.

    Question for Acton (Mass) area residents: anyone familiar with any type
    of  kids track club in the generalarea 
    (looking for something for 7 yr old).
    
    thanks.

    Does anyone have any experience with kids and rock climbing?
    
    My daughter, 8, has developed an interest in rock climbing.  She
    has always been a climber of chairs, trees, stone walls, etc.  Now
    she wants to try "real rocks."
    
    Are there places that give lessons?  I've heard of the rock climbing
    demos that they do at malls occasionally.  Does anyone know if there
    is a permanent "rock" around the MA area?
    
    Diana

    Diana,
    
    I rock climb as does my daughter who is 8.  My daughter climbs
    with me and does not take lessons.  I don't if they teach
    kids but both EMS and REI teach adults and you might
    call them to see if they have any programs for children.
    
    Another possible source of info would be the climbing notesfile,
    QUOKKA::CLIMBING.  I don't remember reading to much about kids and
    climbing there but you might get more answers to your questions
    there.
    
    If your daughter does climb she will need a good harness.  I got
    my daughter the Lizard (I think made by Black Diamond) which is a
    full body kid's harness.  Kid's equipment is much harder to find
    than adults and not cheap.  I would not recommend investing in
    shoes until you determine whether or not she will stick with it.
    My daughter wore sneakers her first year of climbing.  I would 
    recommend a helmet of some sort.
    
    As far as rock in Massachusetts, there is a book called "Boston
    Rocks" which describes many climbing spots in the state.  Some
    of the places have lead climbs but most are top-roping
    which for a child is probably best to start.  I got my copy 
    at EMS a few years ago but they may be harder to get now.
    We frequent Crow Hill in Lemonster which is one of the places
    described in Boston Rocks.
    
    If you have any other questions, I can try and answer them or
    as I said earlier, you might try the climbing notes file or
    give EMS or REI a call.
    
    Robyn
    
    
    P.S.  I don't know if its still there but a couple of years
    ago the Children's Museum in Boston had a climbing wall set
    up where the kids could climb.

    Oops, typing too fast again.  Second sentence in the first
    paragraph should read "I don't KNOW if they teach...".
    
    Robyn
    

    Thanks Robyn for your reply.  It'll be an adventure for her
    and her dad to research this more.  We'll check out EMS.
    
    BTW, there's a good climbing rock in my town, Hopkinton.  I don't
    have much knowledge/ability in the area, that's why I'm hoping
    for lessons.
    
    Thanks again.
    Diana