25 Jul

How to introduce your kids to a new sport without being that dad

Getting your kids to try new sports can be tricky, especially in the digital age THEY live in. How do you introduce them to something new?

Most kids now are happy with linking with their friends online to play Madden or #fortnite instead of hitting the streets and getting busy.

It’s a new world out there and it is up to us to expose them to things outside of technology. Let’s keep it real though, it’s not always easy but I got your back.

To introduce my kids to other sports, I find a dope camp for them to do, I remember that they are not me, and I try my best not to use tough love on them when they suck lol.

Find a dope camp for them to do

A really good cheap way to introduce your kids to a new sport is via sports camps. They are easy to find, can run for a few days and some are very affordable.

I got lucky and found a one day camp that Hyundai was hosting around the country with random NFL players. I emailed my readers about it, you should join our email list.

It was FREE but we had to travel 45 minutes to get there. It was well worth the travel as my son got to meet Evan Engram of the NY Giants. They had 300 kids on the field learning at various stations.

There was no pressure to be the best, they only pressured them to have fun and make friends. My son took full advantage and even told me after the 3-hour camp that he wanted to play football this winter.

I’m not letting him, but camps work, do them!

They are not you, dad

Growing up all I had was my friends and the sports we played. TV, video games, even cable was meant for the rich in the 80’s, we were not there lol.

So all I had was sports and I was always hungry to be the best.

My son, not so much! He has everything he wants, he’s spoiled in that sense and isn’t always hungry to compete.

He is not me! Win or lose he’s happy, definitely not me!

It took me a while to realize that pushing him to be as competitive as I was, wasn’t the right way to get him playing various sports. He just didn’t care as much as I did and that’s ok.

Don’t be that dad that pushes your child to do what you do, let them grow and support them when possible.

Tough love will kill a new sport after you introduce it

Ohhhh I am the worst at applying tough love. I believe in it so much that sometimes I take it to far. I’ll call my son names like weak sauce and even tease him when another kid does better than him.

What can I say?

I’m not perfect but I do expect my child to try his hardest every chance he gets.

However; I have also learned that sometimes we dads can go overboard with our tough love. We say things to our kids that destroy their confidence or hunger to play instead of encouraging them.

It happens and will probably continue to happen but we must also know when we take it to far. Remember you’re introducing them to something new, they will not be great the 1st couple of times.

Does that mean you should stop applying pressure? Hell no!

Keep doing it but don’t do it to the point that your kids hate the new sport instead lol. That sport might not be for them, let them decide pops.

It’s a wrap!

Sports can be a great way to keep your kids busy while building their confidence. Let’s not forget the health benefits that come along with them running around.

You don’t have to go crazy or broke introducing them to new sports. You can sign up for a free or low-cost camp to help you introduce them to something new.

Just try to always remember that they are not you and the decision to play a sport should be on them, not you. If they decide to play, push them to be great without being a dick!

You never know, they might be down to continue with the sport or give it up. But at least you did your part introducing to something other than cheat codes on their Playstations.

How do you introduce kids to other sports? Hook a dad up so I can continue to hook up other dads.