Why Send a 10 Year Old to Majors

Lets reverse your questions and ask what would your 10 year old gain if he didn’t move on? Experience in how to dominate?

Dominating is very often expressed by others as giving a child confidence. I do not believe confidence comes from dominating others. Confidence does not come from a season of very little challenges, and learning that you can be the best, by working very little. Confidence comes from struggling through every challenge, tackling it head on until you know you can meet any challenge that comes your way.

Experience tells us that when we take on a new challenge our confidences are very low. As we gain experience, we gain confidence, and as we gain confidence, we move on to a new challenge in order to grow. Therefore if we don’t move on, we don’t grow.

It is my opinion that children also need to learn to fulfill perspective roles on a team, Big fish and Little fish. When children who have dominated every level are forced to play the role of little fish (and that day will come no matter how talented) they will not have the experience necessary to meet that challenge. I have known many of talented athletes that have quit sports altogether because they could not fulfill this role.

As a parent of a very talented athlete I have faced this debate on many occasions (and I am sure there will be many more to come). I find that most parents will tell you they want their children to be successful, and therefore will hold them back in their respective league. I say success is never measured in a season, but with a lifetime filled with challenges!