Just what are our returns with youth activities?

I’m a lousy swimmer.

Despite a few years of lessons when I was younger, I just never did get the hang of swimming. Maybe it’s because my summers were spent doing chores around the house for my mom, and not at the closest municipal pool 20 minutes from my house.

I’m also lousy at softball, volleyball, basketball and anything else with flying projectiles. I’m guessing it’s because I was never on any summer sports team, and instead spent my summers working on 4-H projects for the fair.

Look, we weren’t a sports family. We were a farm family. And the crops and livestock came first. Not a traveling sports schedule or downtime by the pool. That’s just how it was.

A few years back I read a study from Utah State University that looked at the amount of family income spent on children’s sports and the return on investment. This group of researchers wanted to find not just the cost of youth sports, but the benefits to the young athletes.

Some families were spending up to 11 percent of their pre-tax income on youth sport activities. That covered everything from shoes and gear to trainers, coaches, camps, league fees and travel. The survey found on average a family spends $2,292 per year, starting as young as age eight. That could be a $23,000 investment by the time the child turns 18. (To compare, the cost of in-state public university education for one year in Kansas this past year was just under $10,000.)

That expenditure could be great if there’s a scholarship opportunity at the end. But for every one scholarship athlete or potential pro athlete, there are thousands of families who don’t see any returns above hospital bills from injuries and tears shed over parental expectations. In that same study, the higher the spending, the lower the enjoyment for the child athlete and the more they saw parental “support” as “pressure to perform.”

Is 4-H and FFA any better, though?

There used to be a time when a kid could go to the county fair with home-raised animals and be competitive. But, that day is long gone for many. Livestock shows are just as competitive and expensive as youth sports now. And there’s a lot of money on the line at every level. From the cost of animals, to the cost of special feeds and supplements, to money and time invested in traveling to shows, housing livestock and grooming supplies. It can be pricey. And not every animal is a champion at Fort Worth.

So, we’d better make sure what we’re doing is bringing home more than a trophy or a banner for the wall.

I’m not here to tell you youth activities—sports or livestock projects—are a waste of time and money. Because I firmly believe that every kid has some ability that can blossom under the right conditions. Whether it’s sports, or 4-H and FFA, Scouts or volunteering at the nursing home down the street—that decision on how to invest time and money in child development is up to the family.

What I’m asking is that we reconsider our approach to those activities.

What are your ultimate goals for your child? And how are you helping them reach those goals with these activities?

So, this summer, my challenge to all adults—me included—is to retrain our approach to youth competitions.

When you have the urge to reach for a show comb and take care of that calf’s leg hairs yourself, stop. Call your kid over and take the five minutes to show them how to do it right.

When you’re standing outside that ring and watching them, remember there’s a big difference in support and pressure to win at all costs.

When you interact with other parents, judges and show personnel, remember that little eyes are watching you and how you treat others. Stand up for your child, sure. Harass and belittle an adult volunteer because your kid didn’t win? No. You see, 20 years from now no one will remember who won the grand champion at the county fair without referring to some list in the premium book. But they will remember a family’s actions in and out of a show ring.

As you’re writing the checks for whatever activities your children participate in this summer, take a moment and list three reasons why you as a family are investing time and money in them. Do you enjoy them as a family? Do you see your child blossoming and learning about healthy competition and independence? Are they building friendships and dreams for the future?

Post those reasons where you can see them, in the barn, in the show box, on the visor of the pickup truck. And before you act this summer, refer to them.

No, I may not be a world-class athlete, and I may not have a championship banner from 1995 in a box somewhere.

But my parents got a different return for their investment—a lifetime of family memories and three confident adult children who know healthy competition. 

And, sure, one lousy swimmer.

Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached at 620-227-1807 or [email protected].