Back to School—Back to Sports

It is that time again—the time that every parent longs for and every child dreads. It's time to go back to school. Each school year brings out different emotions in children and parents.
You may be a parent who is taking their preschooler or kindergartener to school for the first time, and the pangs of sadness and excitement in your heart tug you in two very different directions.

Maybe you are the veteran parent at these back-to-school shopping trips, always making sure you get just what your children need from the teacher list that you recently received in the mail, and both you and your children are just counting down the days until school starts.
Or you could be a parent who has children attending middle school or high school for the very first time. You are excited about all that lies in front of them and maybe a little scared at the big world they are about to encounter.

No matter what type of parent you are or where your children fall, going back to school is exciting. For Kids&Sports, back to school also means back to sports. All of the fall high school and middle school sports are starting up. Youth soccer, football and baseball practices begin in earnest and year-round sports gear back up from summer breaks.

In this issue we have dedicated a number of articles to helping parents maneuver through the very crowded fall schedules and have offered advice on how to balance the very active agendas that lie ahead.

One of the most important aspects, even before starting school or sports, is to make sure your children get physicals. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a physical every year up to the age of six and then every other year thereafter. Turn to our Healthy Family section to read more.

Additionally, as students get older, free time tends to become a thing of the past. In our Student Athlete section, read about ways to help your pre-teen or teenagers manage their time more effectively and find a good balance between sports and school.

Finally, for our parents with younger children, make sure to turn to our Getting Started column to read about the benefits that sports and being active can offer your child and how they can help emphasize the building blocks of life's lessons, such as teamwork, fairness, support, teaching and respect.

Until next month,

Scott Hoover   
scott@bdjcommunications.org