Why kids should have sports #goals
“I t does not matter how many times one gets knocked down in life; what matters is how many times one gets up to face the next challenge,” says specialist orthopedic sports surgeon Dr. George Varghese, How do we teach children such resilience for life? The answer lies in sports.
“You should’ve seen Talia before she started gymnastics. My shy girl has turned into a socially confident and active person,” shares Asiel Abed, mother to 6-year-old Talia Awad. Echoing these thoughts, Sarah Saatchian, mother to 7-year-old Aryana Bismark (who loves water sports, archery, football and just generally leads a very active lifestyle), adds, “Sports take kids on a journey of self-discovery. The self-confidence that comes from doing well in sports and being a good team player is simply priceless.”
The key to enhance the personality and character development of children seems to lie in starting early. “Children love to play and run around the most when they’re young. As they get older, they tend to prefer the TV and video games. By making sports a part of their life early, the chances are much higher that they will maintain a fit lifestyle,” says Dina Al-Amudi, mother to 9-year-old Joseph and 5-year-old Jonas Ashkar, who are passionate about football and swimming. She is thrilled with how football has taught them to trust teammates and make quick — but, well thought out — decisions, and swimming has taught them patience and endurance.
Growing up with sports as a major part of their lives certainly requires a good balance of priorities and time management skills. “It takes commitment and discipline to give time to sports, especially with so much academic pressure. I reassess Aryana’s schedule every three months based on how she benefitted from her previous routine,” shares Sarah. Agreeing with her, Preeti Hemant Kambli, mother to 16-year¶
old Tanishqa (a celebrated and multi-award winning athlete) and 13-year-old Arnav Hemant Kambli (who’s been called the kid to watch out for in cricket by international players), adds, “You have to give children a timetable for the day so that they are able to complete their schoolwork and have time to develop their game.”
Watching parents manage such hectic schedules in addition to their own work and social commitments allows children to translate the can-do attitude in their own lives. Dr. Varghese, who practices at Aster Hospital Mankhool and Medcare Ortho & Spine Hospital says, “While playing a sport teaches a child the art of managing time productively, they also learn to respect authority, overcome setbacks, and understand that the only disability that has no medication is a bad attitude.”
Preeti has seen both her children benefit immensely from actively including sports in their lives. “I’ve seen my kids grow into positive and humble teenagers. They have a great sense of responsibility and commitment towards their (respective) clubs and schools. With everything on their plates, raising them to love sports has ensured that they have the mental toughness to handle pressure,” she shares with a smile.
“I know that joining a sports club in Dubai is expensive and it can hold off a lot of parents. However, if we change our way of thinking and look at sports as an investment into our children’s future, we can make it happen,” says Dina. It also helps that there are a lot of free fitness pop ups and one-time trial sports classes across the city throughout the year so that children can give different sports a go and see what appeals most. “We’re lucky that Talia’s gymnastics instructors come over to her school directly after hours. This is less time consuming on both our schedules. It gives us the time to cover homework for half an hour a day before going to bed, and I’m proud to say that she’s an excellent student as well,” shares Asiel.
A full schedule of school, leisure, and sports that children have picked themselves markedly makes for goal-oriented, passionate, and resilient leaders of tomorrow. Let’s play!
Balancing between sports and school work is always difficult. We try to dedicate a day of our weekend to this and I also talk to the teachers about what’s been assigned as homework. It helps us to prioritise what goes on our weekly schedule.” Dina Al-Amudi, a Saudi-German national with two kids, Joseph (9) and Jonas (5) who are into football and swimming.
Incorporating sports in daily life is a choice. It certainly helps to be passionate about sports, but if not, then focus on enhancing your health. Take it a day at a time, and before you know it, it will become your lifestyle.” — Iranian Sarah Saatchian’s 7-year old daughter Aryana Bismark loves water sports, football and archery
With all the technology, nowadays, kids are unfortunately doing very less physical activity. This inactivity affects their health in a negative way. That’s where I see the importance of sports in general — for better health and a fit body.” — Jordanian Asiel Abed’s 6-year old Talia is an avid gymnast
Sports have a huge impact on a child’s overall personality. They learn to be competitive, mentally positive, respectful, and know how to deal with failures. Their social behaviour is based on a sense of fair play with everyone, including opponents.” — Preeti Hemant Kambli, Indian, whose children Tanishqa (16) and Arnav (13) are into athletics and cricket respectively