Your article "Kids should be allowed to quit" (11/1) is an excellent reminder that parents need to be attuned to their children's enjoyment of the sports in which they participate.
We also need to be in tune to the culture of youth sports today. To have a child quit a sport at age 6 or 7 and label themselves a non-athlete may be a most unfortunate result of unrealistic expectations being placed on them.
In its 2006 statement on active healthy living, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that children aged 6-9 have limited ability to learn team strategy. It also recommends that participation in organized sports "should have flexible rules and short instruction time, allow free time in practices, and focus on enjoyment rather than competition."
In another statement on the importance of play, the AAP states that free and unstructured play is essential for social, emotional and cognitive development.
Let's not discourage children who are playing up to their developmental expectations, even when they are doing a cartwheel on the soccer field. It might be more age-appropriate to play to play, rather than play to win.
Let's do our part to protect the need for sports to be fun and promote healthy active lifestyles for all kids.
Maria Brown, Baltimore