How Do I Know if My Kid is Ready for Sports?

Every parent (well maybe not every parent) wants to get their child signed up for "little league." For the last 70 years, that's been the "in thing" with parents across America. We love sports and we want our child out there playing with the best of them and, at the same time, being the best of them. It doesn't matter the sport. As soon as Al or Mary Ann down the street tells you that they're signing their kid up for a sport that season, you may face being the outcast of the neighborhood if you don't join in.

Kids face a similar scenario. Billy's signing up for baseball and the next thing you here is, "Can I play baseball this year?"

Each year approximately 35 million kids are enrolled in organized sports.

But here's the thing to consider: what if you gave your child a list of activities to consider before signing them up for sports? You list activities that they can do for the upcoming year and they put an M if it's something they'd like to do the most or an L if it's something they'd like to do the least.

Here's an example list of activities to let your child choose from:

• Music lessons
• Art lessons
• Play with your friends
• Play on a sport team
• Be in a play

While you may be surprised, and in many cases disappointed, if they didn't pick sports at least it gives you a chance to let your child choose. And it may just tell you that instead of having an athlete in the house you just might have a future great actor. Not all kids will grow up to be athletes, but they will still do very well in this world.