Football for your child. Yay or nay?

I understand your reluctance, but if it's something he wants to try let him. There are so many dangers in the world, but you can't shelter him. Let him see if it's something he loves. I say "he" but if it's a "she"- let her go for it!

I also wouldn’t encourage her to play hockey, soccer or do gymnastics (which I lettered in all four years of high school).

Older DS loves everything about football. He's played tackle since 5th grade and flag before that. He's very upset he will moss football camp for a family vacation we already have scheduled.

Younger Ds played a couple of years and realized he didn't like being hit, so he became the manager so he could still hang out with his friends.

I played soccer and I can't count the number of times I headed the ball or collided heads without protection.

If we are going to worry about football, I'd also worry about many different sports.

No to football. Thankfully my son is not built for it physically (long and thin) nor emotionally (isn't into hitting or being hit). He does enjoy soccer. Our league last year banned heading which I believe follows some new international(?) recommendations.

I worked in a children’s Hospital for years.

Absolutely, positively not a chance in hell.

A good friend of ours was a pediatric RN for years and she said the same thing. That’s why I also said I wouldn’t encourage hockey, soccer or gymnastics. There are many safer ways for kids to participate in sports and to enjoy exercise.

No. And I am saying this retroactivly. My son did play flag football, then padded, then full tackle up through middle school. He was small then, and not particularly motivated to play hard. But if I had to do that over - I would have said no. He never sustained any concussions, but I have no idea about getting slammed into the ground in practices, etc.

Knowing now what damage it can do scare the crap out of me. I am nearly at the point of thinking it is negligent parenting to let them play. I live in a rural area where you know everyone and you also know the kids from other small towns that play sports... I can trace a line to every kid that has had some major behavioral issues and suicides to them playing football and having had multiple concussions. One kid that we knew well killed himself and two others.... my DH said - remember him in football and all those hits to the head... that right there set my mind. My daughters good friend also played high school ball and sustained many hard hits to the head and concussions. He hung himself in college and her other friend found him. Devastating. Another direct line from a kid who had too many hits to the head and suicide.

I know they do more concussion screening now - but I still see the "hit them hard" mentality.

I also know football isn't the only sport and there is no way we can bubble wrap them and keep them safe. My son had a wreck on the farm and even though the doc said he did not have a concussion - he still took a really hard hit to the head. It scares me.



Watch the recent interview with Christiane Amanpour, Brette Farve, and Dr. Omalu. Farve said he would not want his grandsons to play the game. Listening to him talk - you can tell he has issues now.

Gymnastics can definitely wreck your body. Having said this, I'm the parent of a competitive male gymnast. In his case, he would continue doing gymnastic stuff without the gym, so I figure at least let him do it around mostly padded surfaces. I got him into gymnastics because even as a toddler, he would climb everything - I figured he needed to know how to fall. It turned out that he is well suited for it and it is a passion for him. Concussions can certainly happen, but it's still a lower rate than many other sports. 

We are in Texas, so football is king. I'm hoping that the passion for the gym wins out over the peer pressure of football. I don't want him playing it at all, but I have said that absolutely he WILL NOT be allowed to do it in middle school. If he's still as into and talented at gymnastics at that point, he won't want to do football in high school anyway as he'll be a national contender.

He has tried different sports to varying degrees - tae kwon do and soccer  and baseball somewhat seriously, and dabbles in various sport sampler camps. Nothing else has caught his love the way gymnastics does. He's at least moderately good at all of them thus far, as a naturally athletic kid, but hasn't been sold on anything else. 

I agree with this completely. While it’s true that one can’t completely shield and protect their child from absolutely every danger, it doesn’t make sense to me to encourage my kid to voluntarily participate in something where intense, repeated impact (especially to the head) is part and parcel of the whole concept of the sport. Our neighbor’s 13 yo grandson plays hockey and just last week took a nasty hit which resulted in a medivac helicopter ride to a trauma center and having emergency surgery to remove his ruptured spleen.   Now it will be 3-4 months before he can do anything physical at all. So not worth it.

My biggest concern would be the way both of my sons are built. Tall and very skinny. My oldest opted for rec sports in soccer and basketball as he has never been very competitive but liked to play for fun.

Football and gymnastics are two sports that concern me the most. I'm okay with soccer, but I don't think heading should be allowed until they are over the age of ten as recommended by the U. S. Soccer association.

I was on my high school’s team and I personally witnessed so many accidents and injuries that I couldn’t count them all.

The two worst ones I do remember vividly. I watched in horror as one of my teammates (who was a very high level gymnast, the best on our team) landed a dismount wrong from the bars and broke her leg so bad the bone came through the skin. She was wheeled out of the gym on a stretcher by paramedics screaming the entire way. Another time one of my coaches was supposed to be spotting me on a new dismount from the beam that I was learning. I was completely upside down and airborne when I totally froze. Instead of stepping in and spotting me so I would turn, she stepped BACK and let me drop straight down directly on my head and neck on a 4” thick mat. She was damn lucky I didn’t break my neck. So no, I really wouldn’t encourage my kid to participate in that sport when there are safer alternatives that can be just as fun and exciting.

I didn't allow it 15 years ago and I would certainly not allow it now. 

I even have misgivings about soccer now, with all the heading of the ball. But I can't change history.

I was elated that neither of my kids played any sports beyond a few years of little League/softball so I didn't have to sit at boring games and meets for fifteen years.

So, so grateful.