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A friend recently posted an article on Facebook about our local public high school, the one my son attends and from which my daughters graduated. The article is about 5 years old – and a bit lengthy – but many of the student observations and quotes are still very applicable today. And, re-reading it now that my son is in his sophomore year is really making me think about the path he is on and the path I am on with him as he gets further into his high school career and closer to the end of his Junior Tennis Journey.
If you want to take the time to read the article, I promise it will make you think, or re-think, about how you interact with your child(ren). And, if it doesn’t, it should. We are raising our children in an era of very high anxiety, very high pressure, very high expectations. For student-athletes pursuing a college scholarship, the pressure is magnified. Is it any wonder many families choose virtual school or home school as an alternative to this mishigas (i.e. craziness for my non-Yiddish-speaking readers)? Read the excerpt below and tell me you don’t recognize your child or someone you know here:
A 17-year-old should not have to spend a week in the hospital for exhaustion. Students shouldn’t have to drag themselves through each and every school week on 28 hours of sleep or take a handful of Advil to get through soccer practice or calculus class. It may not seem like it, but we’re tired. Everything doesn’t have to be a lesson or lecture. A kid can’t just strike out anymore and get on with his life. Yes, we know to keep our eye on the ball, you’ve told us 4 million times. Head down on the golf swing—we know. So we slip. We forget. We’re not gonna go, like, rob banks because we shank a few Titleists off into the Chattahoochee. Sometimes we get so much pressure from so many angles we get dizzy. We juggle so many things all day every day it almost seems silly to come home and have you nag us to do our homework. We know we have homework; we’re the ones who lugged it home like pack mules. Did it ever occur to you that what you and the teachers call procrastination is just our way of taking two seconds to, like, think? Some of us need pushing, but there’s such a thing as pushing too hard.
As I prepare to write yet another note saying my son was absent due to illness, I have to ask myself why I allow myself to compromise my own morals when in fact I am 100% in favor of my son missing a day of school here and there (as long as he stays on top of his school work) in order to pursue his passion. Of course, one answer is because I don’t want to see my son punished academically – teachers do not allow students to make up work or tests missed due to an Unexcused Absence – when his particular sport isn’t one offered year-round by his school. And, I believe 100% that pursuing one’s passion is the best antidote to the stress that our society breeds. Unless the pursuit of the passion adds stress and anxiety instead of relieving it. So the challenge, as always, is striving for a healthy balance between hard work, dedication, and commitment as well as lightness and fun. It’s a big ask. I certainly don’t pretend to have the answers.
A friend of mine who happens to be a licensed social worker and also has a 16 year old son says, “And not too much is said about the incredible changes and pressures for parents as we navigate all this wonderful progressive technology that makes it harder for families to connect. I’m exhausted with all the efficiency.” It’s so true! How are the rest of you Tennis Parents coping with this challenge? How are you helping your tennis players find the balance? I look forward to reading your comments.
