"It used to be that parents announced their kids were trying to raise money for the chess club or debate, and they sheepishly felt obliged to help. Now, you get messages that barely even mention their kids - or, sometimes, what the money is even for."But he may not have hammered hard enough! At what point does the "community" stop subsidizing everything, and let the participants fund it?
This subject goes deeper - as most things do. It is related to two other widely expanding notions: 1) everything for the kids and; 2) my kids 'need' this to: get ahead in life; get a scholarship; etc. - and we want you to help pay for it!
Why does a community "need" a soccer/basketball/volleyball/etc club? These 'clubs' do little more than suck the community dry of money and enthusiasm - all in the name of "it's for the kids". Some parents convince themselves (or are convinced by others) that the kids need these clubs if they ever hope to compete. Not only that, but they better start them young - 4-5 years old, and quickly decide on a single sport. If they wait past age 8 to pick a sport, the kid will be a failure!
For the record, my kids participate in these activities and more. But I would also say they do so with a reluctant father. They like the 'fun' part of playing with their friends and have, so far, been unaware of the 'seedy' underside of parent/organizer intervention. I like the team aspects (albeit, not widely taught) and the recreational aspect of sport and other activities, but I also recognize that my kids will not be making a living - let alone helping mom & dad retire early - with a career in sports. The problems is, the pendulum has swung to the point of eliminating any 'kid run' aspect of this recreation (you know the old days: my Little League manager was the friend on the team who knew how to fill out a roster and score card!).
If we truly want to do something "for the kids", maybe we should just let them be kids!
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