Kids Sport Gene Testing
 

Thanks to today's news
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/sp...nted=2&_r=1&hp

People who think this way should not be parents. If you are considering getting genetic testing to determine what sport to shove your kid into in hopes that in twenty years you'll get accolades for raising a star athlete, you are missing the point and should not be a parent.

Jesus Christ, why don't we just take kids out of their homes and into mandatory training camps like the Chinese do? I mean, they're winning all those gold medals! That's what matters, right?

You can throw any child into any sport but if they don't want to be there then it's pretty much wasted effort

The only smart thing said in that 2 pages of nonsense

Exactly.

There are many character lessons and benefits you get from playing sports as a youngster, whether or not you do anything with it. One of those lessons might be that you suck at certain things but can still have fun doing it.

Or we could learn we suck at many things....but that is why there are beer leagues for fun. :)

I am hoping the character thing kicks in with my oldest son (6). He is wrestling for the first time. He went to a six night intro camp and said that he liked it. So we signed him up for the season. On the premis that yes wrestling can suck sometimes and yes you can get hurt, but it is also pretty fun. He has gotten dinged in some fashion almost every night we had practice. He was upset about it but he didn't pack it in right then. So I guess we are getting somewhere. We agreed that we would give the WHOLE season a try and if at the end he didn't like it we would move on. He fancies himself quite the sportsman. He has the desire but not the natural tools and mind set that his little brother has. I am not sure his little brother gives a crap about sprorts. Then again what should I expect from a 4 year old. I am happy that he knows which team is USC when they play. I think we will be sampling quite a few sports, which is fine with me. Not more than one a season though. I haven't lost my mind.

Anyone else have some insight to thier children and sports? I can always use some pointers that might apply to mine.

I say let them be the guide...
Oh I am a proud Mom of 4 and grandma to 2 so I know what I am talking about. :)

I disagree. People force their children to go to school and get good grades regardless of whether or not they want to do it, and raise their children with the dream of putting them through college, without the child's will, should they have their rights as parents revoked? They do genetic testing in ex-combloc nations, in the form of muscle biopsy and physical tests, in fact Pyrros Dimas is involved at the top level in a testing program like that in Greece, where the kids can voluntarily participate. I think that, if a child is interested in it, why not?