My daugther 6 yrs cannot commit to what sport she wants to do. I know she is young but a few months back she asked me if she could not do Hockey again this year because she didn't like it (she really didn't seem to last year, she went but it was a fight) Sh asked if she could do Ballet I said yes. Now she wants to do hockey again because she wants to teach her brother. I have a feeling that her only interest in it now is because her younger brother will be starting hockey this year for the first time. I am not one to push but first I don't want to pay for something that she is once again not going to enjoy and two I don't want to give her the option to take back what she requested. Part of me just wants to skip sports this year altogether if this is going to be how it is. She LOVES to dance around the house and I personally think she would love to do ballet. I am all for letting my kids try different sports and don't like to push but part of me feels I should push towards dance this year. Thoughts, have you been through similar and if so what did you do and was it the good/better choice. Help she is our oldest and I just don't know how to handle this battle if you could call it that.
Edit my child does one sport a year and I feel that it is very important for her to be involved in a sport, So yes I am taking this seriously. I think she would be stressed if we did both since the seasons run together,
My children all have one swim lesson a week also and I myself along with my kids don't want to get burned out. Otherwise I would have her in both! I love watching them do their sports! :)
She is only 6. If it were me, she wouldn't be enrolled in anything. I think parents do way too much of these things. She's 6. You shouldn't be stressing about this.
If it was a fight last year, I would not enroll her in hockey again this year. I would remind her of her request to try ballet and that it is always a good idea to try new things. Remind her of how she felt about hockey last year and that just because her brother is going to play does not mean she will like it better. Do ballet and have the option to try hockey again next year. Don't put yourself through the stress of the fight you know will happen.
My six yr old daughter didn't do well with team sports. No interest in fighting 10 others for a soccer ball. We only do swimming and tumbling. That way she is completely individual learning the sport. It has worked for us. She swims great, and has exceeding in tumbling class, and tumbles all day at home too.
I would give her the option of hockey or ballet. Remind her why she didn't like hockey and if she is willing to try this year, she will be expected to go to all the practices/games... Can you bring her to a dance class and let her watch, see if she's compelled to join in?
My son had a love/hate relationship with soccer when he was 4.. but begged to play when he turned 5. Turns out, he loved it and was actually pretty good at it. We are also not competitive or forcing sports, but I feel it's important to try something every year, it teaches kids so much more than just the activity.
At 6 and 7 my boys play baseball during the summer, soccer during the spring and fall and basketball in the winter on a little league. We like to promote sports along with healthy eating and getting exercise. My kids would rather be out playing a sport than sitting on the couch watching TV.
Why can't your daughter do both? My youngest boy likes soccer much better with his brother on his team.
I have always allowed my children to do one sport per season. Once they were signed up, they were commited and if they didn't like it they still had to stick with it for that season only...then, they never had to sign up again if they didn't want to. If they said they did or didn't want to do something, they could change their minds up until they were either signed up or had missed the deadline then their decision was final for that season.
So, if you have already signed her up for ballet she should do ballet. If she has missed the sign-up for hockey, she can't do hockey. If she hasn't been signed up for or missed sign-up for either you should give her the option of ballet, hockey, something else, or nothing else. Tell her that no decision = nothing else. IF she chooses hockey, reminder that she didn't want to go last year so you want her to be sure it is something SHE wants to do for the whole season and not just for her brother.
I would remind her of how much she didn't like it. If you feel like it, take her to an open skate and see if that jogs her memory. If she still persists, I would just say no. Maybe try it again in a year or two if she still talks about it.
My 7 yo was meh about ice skating (though she brought it up a few times and did like it slightly better when her brother did it with her) but is crazy about dance - ballet is too slow for her, she likes hip hop and tap. Make sure she likes dance before you have to commit to buying a recital costume.
The ONLY reason she wants to do Hockey now... is because her Brother is going to do that.
Typical sibling dynamics.
You teach her to be herself.
That she does not have to do everything that brother does.
She has her own, interests.
He has his own, interests.
They are not twins.
They are themselves.
She did NOT like Hockey, previously.
She is just saying she wants to take it now, because her brother is.
That is not a 'reason.'
She loves, Ballet.
Remind her, that she cannot do both.
She also takes swimming.
That is 2 activities already.
Adding a 3rd, would be too much.
You know that.
She does not, because she is only 6 years old.
I would not, enroll her in Hockey.
If that were me.
And with school... they have homework too.
And if she did Hockey and Ballet... and swimming, well gee, that is too much. And back to back seasons.
Now, does she STILL like Ballet??????
Or not?
My daughter used to do dance classes when she was your daughter's age. Then she sort of outgrew it.
She has been taking Karate now for the past couple of years. That is HER, groove. She loves it.
My Daughter is 8 now.
"Sports".... can mean different things. Other activities too. Not only the typical team sports.
My daughter does not like "sports."
So we don't make her enroll.
She has her own interests.... and talents.
Again, sit down, explain to your daughter... that she is herself with her own interests. She does not have to copy, her Brother.
Remind her that previously, she DID NOT LIKE, Hockey.
