After School

How do you respond when your child wants to quit something?

“I hate baseball,” he says as he slams the car door. “I want to quit.”

This, of course, is the same child who begged you to sign him up. It’s also the child who had to have special shoes and a glove before the first practice.

What’s a parent to do when a child wants to quit? First, take your child seriously—without taking quick action. Next:

• Ask your child to tell you what’s going on. Why does he want to quit? Give him time to vent.
• Talk with other parents. What are their kids saying? Studies show that 70 percent of the kids who drop out of sports do so because their coach is abusive, there’s too much emphasis on winning or they don’t get enough playing time.
• Go to a practice. But instead of watching, close your eyes. What do you hear? If you hear kids laughing, that’s a good sign. If all you hear is the coach yelling at players, that tells you something else.

Kids learn responsibility by sticking with a team. But in a truly awful situation, you may need to allow your child to quit so he doesn't lose his love of the game altogether.

Reprinted with permission from the March 2007 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2007 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: Stacy M. DeBroff, Sign Me Up, ISBN: 0-743-23541-X (Free Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 1-800-223-2336, www.simonsays.com).