I’ll be the first person to tell you that I am exhausted from running my kids around to their various activities. Aren’t we all?? Even though I complain about it and I’m the first person to do a little rain dance in hopes that something gets canceled, I can’t deny all the good that youth sports have brought into my kids’ lives. 

There’s been a recent surge in various online communities about how we should let kids have unstructured play and how as parents we should stop filling our kids’ schedules. And though I agree that too much pressure can be put on kids at a young age to excel leading to burnout, and that unstructured play is a critical part of childhood development, I have yet to find any harm in letting my young kids play rec ball. 

When I look back on my childhood, some of my favorite memories come from playing sports. 

I want that for my kids. I want them to look back on their childhood and recall the joy of winning a game where they were the underdog. I want them to look back on rainy games and remember how much fun they had. I want them at age 25 to reach out to their friend they played soccer with in elementary school because they formed a friendship that has lasted years. I want them to experience the fulfillment that comes from working hard toward a goal. 

read the rest of this piece at knoxvillemoms.com.