How recreation and sport can impact the lives of youth with disabilities.

By: Cole Morash

For many youth their lives are filled with activities. Whether its hanging out with friends, going to school, playing video games, or a vast variety of the other activity that youth engage in. At first glance there seems to be so many opportunities for youth and so much potential to be part of programs and activities through recreation and sports. It shouldn’t be a problem to find something that suits the needs and wants for someone. However, this isn’t always the case. For many individuals programs are designed to appeal to and meet the needs of the participants who are typically-abled both physically and mentally. Recreation and sport can sometimes be an overwhelming topic of conversation for youth who have a disability.  Due to the lack of opportunity, the lack of inclusive and accessible environments, and in some cases a lack of knowledge about programs, many who are looking to get involved stop the search for involvement due to the lack of opportunities. For others the whole process may be too overwhelming to begin with. In youth development having recreational and sport experiences can help create a positive and safe atmosphere for development and helps create learning through experiences and interaction with other youth.  These atmospheres help encourage and build healthy life skills such as leadership, confidence, and building relationships with both peers as well as positive adult relationships with coaches and leaders. With the help of organizations that span nationwide like Special Olympics Canada all the way to smaller organizations like Para New Brunswick, these organizations look to provide youth with disabilities the ability to have access to recreational and sport activity with others who share similar experiences to help create these positive life skills in a positive and safe environment. 

In many community recreational programs there is an inconsistent adoption of inclusion within their programs. As a result of this, there are barriers that stop youth with disabilities from joining recreation and sport programs (Scholl, Smith, & Davison 2005). Some of these barriers include lack of inclusion, lack of accessibility, and lack of support. Most programs are designed under the impression that their participants are all of equal capability and because of this there may be low registration of youth with disabilities in recreation and sport programs. Having the feeling of being isolated or feeling different from a group due to a disability can be common fear and may discourage youth from joining. Due to lack of funding, a lot of programs do not have the resources to help out youth with disabilities.(Scholl et al., 2005). Without these resources, it can make programs hard to access. For example, for youth with Cerebral Palsy to access a swimming pool, they may need assistance from a  lift to help them into the water. However, if there is no lift, then these recreational activities become hard to manage or are even inaccessible. With lack of support, youth feel as if they cannot talk or connect with anyone and because of this it puts them in a position where they feel alone even though they are with other youth in a recreational environment. When we look into ways of overcoming these barriers and creating better environments for youth with disabilities, we create opportunities to provide programs that will help build these skills, such as creating healthy peer relationships, leadership skills, conversation skills, and overall providing inclusiveness and welcoming environments for everyone. 

The effects of physical activity are important when developing healthy habits and to living healthy lives. During adolescence if youth develop a healthy relationship with physical activity, they are more likely to follow through into adulthood and become active for life.  In a study done about parental support and sport participation for youth with a mobility impairment, they found that youth with mobile disabilities are more likely to be physically inactive compared to other youth who are able-bodied. However, in the results of the study, they found that these youth with mobile disabilities who took part in physical activity programs were more likely to experience an increase in physical activity, a boost in confidence, and teamwork which overall created a positive experience for the participants of the study.( Shirazipour, Latimer-Cheung, & Arbour-Nicitopoulos, 2015 ). When creating this positive environment for physical activity in recreation and sport youth with disabilities can find positive outcomes for not only their physical health, but also with social aspects in their life creating confidence in there abilities and being encouraged to enroll in other programs.  

With organizations such as Para New Brunswick and Special Olympics Canada, programs provide a community for participants by taking into the account the effect community has in the lives of the participants. Being part of a community helps people feel better about themselves, increases social interaction with others, as well as provides a safe space for people to be. These programs are important resources when it comes to recreation and sport for youth with disabilities because it gives a chance to participate in a program where their needs can be meet and inclusion is always available. Everyone in life looks to be a part of a community through these organizations they feel they can be involved in and provide atmospheres that encourage fun, development, and inclusion. In 2017 people with disabilities made up 22.3% of the population of Canada (Morris, Fawcett, Brisebois & Hughes 2018). With such little representation these programs help bring individuals with similar experiences together to help create a community. These interactions are important because it is hard especially for youth when they feel like they are different because of something that effects their life. By having this community and taking part in activities, youth who have similar situations can work to create positive relationships as well as making new friends with other peers who have similar experiences.

Adolescence is an important part of development in life, through the experiences of recreation and sport, youth can develop skills and lessons that help learn and develop throughout their lives. When focus is put on providing inclusive and accessible environments in recreation and sport, it helps provide confidence and encouragement when it comes to youth with disabilities and gives them an opportunity, they might have not known they had. This helps these youth see that they are not defined by their disability and through support and hard work, there is no limitations to what they can accomplish.  With all of these positive benefits for recreation and sport, youth with disabilities should not be forgotten about, rather there should be more done to encourage and provide programs for youth with disabilities. The benefits of being part of a recreation or sport program allow for participants to feel a sense of community which then helps increase their social capital and have access to more resources and other communities.  At the ended of the day, youth, no matter their ability, deserves the right to take part in activates that make them happy and not have to worry about accessibility or inclusion. Youth deserve the chance to take part in the activities they want to and not be stopped or limited because of their disability.

References 

EXPERIENCE THE POWER OF SPORT. (n.d.). Retrieved November 05, 2020, from https://www.specialolympics.ca/participate

Mission. (2020, May 15). Retrieved November 04, 2020, from http://www.paranb.ca/about-2/mission-vision/

Morris, S., Fawcett, G., Brisebois, L., & Hughes, J. (2018, November 28). The 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability and community interest in the areas of disability prevalence, labour market participation, and income inequality. Retrieved November 04, 2020, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-654-x/89-654-x2018002-eng.htm

Shirazipour, C. H., Latimer-Cheung, A. E., & Arbour-Nicitopoulos, K. P. (2015). An exploratory qualitative investigation of psychosocial determinants of parental decisions to support sport participation for youth with a mobility impairment. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 45-46, 400-410. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2015.08.001

Scholl, K. G., Smith, J. G., & Davison, A. (2005). Agency readiness to provide inclusive recreation and after-school services for children with disabilities. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 39(1), 47-62.

Impact of sport on disabled athletes/youth

By: Corbin Sisson

Athletes with disabilities have significantly higher self-esteem, exhibit greater life satisfaction and happiness, are more externalized, and attain more education than individuals with disabilities who are non-athletes (1985). Athletes with disabilities and ensuring that everyone is included and/or having a good time should always be a top priority for recreation and sport professionals. Athletes with disabilities who are able to participate in sport show higher levels of self esteem as was mentioned above, but not only that, they feel more confident about life ahead of them knowing that they can participate in sport, or that they are able to succeed in physical activity and have fun on their own. A child who may have been injured by something at a young age, understanding and knowing that people are there that care for you can change a lot of outlooks on future life. A big part of making sports for athletes with disabilities however is knowing what to involve with the program. Last year during a few classes we were taught how to create events and activities for able-bodied people, but also for individuals with disabilities as well. Some things included smaller or bigger basketballs, and certain aspects of sports that were okay to bend the traditional rules a little bit to make it more inclusive for both individuals with disabilities and those without. Even just the effect of being involved can have a very positive impact on youth with disabilities knowing that somebody put the time in to make them feel included or be a part of a group can cover some of the 40 developmental assets for youth. Including support assets such as building other adult relationships or empowerment because the community values the youth whether they may have a disability or not – everyone is given the same opportunities and treatment.

Improving self efficacy is an effect of athletes with disabilities participating in sport. In a study conducted on wheelchair tennis players compared to non-wheelchair tennis players, researchers found that “Wheelchair tennis participants exhibited an iceberg profile of positive well-being and were higher than the Profile of Mood States norm on vigor and lower than the norm on tension, anger, depression, fatigue, and confusion. Furthermore, wheelchair mobility self-efficacy significantly correlated with wheelchair tennis self-efficacy” (2020). It is explained that athletes who participate in a sport express many more positive emotions towards themselves and life as a whole, and while this is mostly considering adults youth benefit arguably even more from it as they learn these behaviors at such a young age. It improves their attitudes, and improves their confidence in moving around in a wheelchair compared to nonparticipants of wheelchair tennis. It also provides them with more practice using a wheelchair and getting more used to it with quick precise movements. Sport provides benefits for not only emotions, but also learning or in some cases just improving mobility in a wheelchair if they have been accustomed to it for a longer period of time. Youth who are possibly new to wheelchair mobility and being in one most of the time could seriously benefit from sports like this, they experience sport and recreation if they are enjoying it, and also learn life lessons about how to easily control their wheelchair without the help of others, growing independently on their own, and as a person.

People and youth in a wheelchair or that suffer from other disabilities often times have low self confidence, or feel as though they don’t fit in as they used to before. Accepting the situation psychologically is a very big factor for a lot of individuals with disabilities. Based on a study by Kęstutis Skučas, “Athletic identity as a wheelchair basketball player can help the process of acceptance and support psychological adjustment” (2014). It is also said that the athletic identity value of players participating in international competitions was much higher than players who only competed at the national level (2014). Even athletes with disabilities who compete at one of the highest levels don’t necessarily consider themselves as an athlete just because they are in a wheelchair while most people would agree that, yes, they are in fact athletes for their own sport their self confidence and identity varies depending on the individual. Is this because society would view them as lower than other athletes without a disability? Or because they haven’t fully come to terms psychologically with their disability? Either way, for many athletes, participating in a sport improves their mindset and allows them to accept their disability quicker or come to terms with it psychologically and improves their mood overall knowing that they are part of a group or community of people that are similar to them. As a child, this is crucial so that they do not feel left out of the mix or so different from everyone else that they think bad about themselves.

Helping athletes with disabilities create goals, and control other psychological effects is created a lot through sports. Other psychological effects include things like goal setting, self talk, self image, and controlling situations and coming to find a problem. Teaching them how to use positive self talk can assist in not only athletics, but also other aspects of their lives. Having this addition to their lives when going for things like job interviews, maybe a first date, or in the obvious case a competition or important sporting event, giving them the confidence to talk themselves through something using positive reinforcement is something that both athletes with disabilities and able-bodied athletes benefit from. Especially somebody who may be struggling with their self image, confidence, or self efficacy, a simple you can do this from your own mind can go a long way from a young age to an elderly age.

Anything that is said about athletes with disabilities and what benefits them applies to youth at an even greater impact. If a child has a disability from a young age, they look around and see everyone else is different than they are they feel secluded or left out of the mix amongst their peers. Overall, this is quite harmful for positive youth development. Knowing that they have people similar to them and support them covers more of the 40 developmental assets. Creating networks, building relationships with people with similar lifestyles or situations. Sport overall is beneficial, so regarding the sport commitment model if the athletes enjoy what they are doing with their new or old group of friends, invest their own time into it and it’s an opportunity to be involved with something where they may not always be able to, they are more likely to be committed to the sport and continue to participate and compete. Somebody who may be struggling trying to find their identity after they have maybe been in an accident and is now disabled often times look for something to help them find that identity. The achievement goal theory explains that motivation is related to the persons desire to be competent. Somebody who was competitive before their injury will keep that same competition drive, but try to translate that into new sports instead. Ego-oriented athletes will have an easier time with this by wanting to be the best. However, it still functions for task-oriented athletes as well considering all they usually want to do is get better themselves rather than solely outperform opponents or peers.

References:

Paul M. Valliant, Irene Bezzubyk, Lorne Daley, Marjatta E. Asu (1985) Psychological Impact of Sport on Disabled Athletes 923-929 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1985.56.3.923

Kęstutis Skučas (2014) Athletic Identity and Self Esteem of Wheelchair Basketball Players 40-43 https://journals.lsu.lt/baltic-journal-of-sport-health/article/viewFile/135/133

C. Michael Greenwood, David, A Dzewaltowski, Ron French (2020) Self-Efficacy and Psychological Well-Being of Wheelchair Tennis Participants and Wheelchair Nontennis Participants 12-21 https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/apaq/7/1/article-p12.xml

Shannon McCallum, C. (2020) Lecture 12abc – Youth Sport Drop Out and Adherence Slides (Power point presentation) Retrieved from D2L Brightspace

Shannon McCallum, C. (2020) (Lecture 6 – Slides for 40 Developmental Assets and the Five Cs of Positive Youth Development_slides

The Effects of Relationships on Youth Development in Sport

by Lauren T.

Relationships in sport play a huge role in youth development and enjoyment of the sport. Youth develop many relationships through sport. They develop relationships with parents, coaches, peers and all of those relationships can impact youth’s enjoyment and development. Praise and understanding is the key contributor to developing complete life skills, including teamwork, goal setting, and leadership (Mossman & Cronin, 2019). We have discussed in class Lerner’s 5 C’s of Positive Youth Development and the importance they play along with the 40 Assets. The 5 C’s consists of connection, caring, confidence, character and competence, our resources also include contribution. As we know, sport is very important in youth development and is associated with the development of life skills, coping mechanisms, and can contribute to positive mental health.

An environment that promotes positive youth development is an environment that has opportunities for youth to experience supportive relationships with adults. Having an adult that you trust is important for youth; it allows for a supportive friend that helps youth develop life skills. Not only does having an adult-youth relationship support youth development but it also plays a role in the enjoyment youth have in their athletic experiences (Mossman & Cronin, 2019). In my past experiences as a youth hockey player, I have seen how negative relationships can affect enjoyment in sport. I have seen and heard of many players leaving sport due to the actions of coaches, the negative relationship made the sport unenjoyable and led to the termination of their extracurricular activities. The issue with youth leaving sport is they no longer have a place to be active; they lose the friendships they have developed and some feel as if they have failed. We know how beneficial sport is to youth and how we can foster positive development but when coaches do not provide a supportive relationship it does not allow for youth to develop a connection, they do not feel cared for, their confidence might suffer, and these three very important factors are factors of positive youth development that is negatively impacted by relationships in sport. When youth leave sport due to relationships this does not support the sport commitment model, they miss out on the enjoyment of their sport, the social support they may have received from their peers and opportunities to be involved.

The Ted Talk we listened to in class talked about how once you stop pushing your kids, they will enjoy the sport so much more. John O’Sullivan talked about how as a parent and coach, he had to let his kids make the decision to play, and once he gave them some autonomy their level of enjoyment went up so much more. It is so important to keep youth interested in the sports they are playing, and autonomy and independence plays a big role. If youth believe they are making the choice to play, they will be so much more interested because they will not feel like anyone is forcing them to play. An environment that allows youth to develop confidence in their abilities and in their environment is one that fosters positive youth development, as discussed in class. Autonomy needs to be developed not only at home, but with coaches as well, giving youth some independence in practice or in games will build confidence. They will feel like they are valued or cared for, their connection to their adult relationship will be stronger and will build character for these youth, the value of autonomy affects all of the 5 C’s of positive youth development and is beneficial when creating relationships in sport.

Of the 40 assets, support is an external asset, and family support is number 1 on the list. Having strong family support provides a foundation of love and a support system and it provides an environment for positive youth development. An article by Mossman & Cronin (2019) suggests that how parents practice praise and understanding can positively affect youth’s life skill development. The article discusses how parents practicing praise and understanding can positively affect their youth’s outlook on themselves, it can positively affect their confidence, reassurance and anxiety within sports. In class, we have talked about how parents can add pressure to their children but telling them the things they did wrong in a game. In the Ted Talk, it was suggested that parents listen to their kids and tell them how proud they are of them, and that “I love watching you play” is the one of only things you should say to your athlete. Parents should praise their athletes for the good things they are doing and understand their frustrations instead of telling them how to fix them. Directive behaviours like telling your athlete what to do can cause increased anxiety and pressures (Mossman & Cronin, 2019). The relationship you build with your athlete as a parent should be filled with praise and understanding, giving your child the support they need, making your child feel cared for, giving them confidence, allowing them to build character, and supporting connections that positively influence your child will help them positively development and continue to enjoy their game.

The positive relationships our children develop keep them in sport, keeps them active, and the relationship helps them grow into who they are. It is important that our children develop positive relationships with their coaches, parents and peers. Negative relationships can not only affect their development but also their enjoyment in their sport. Many of the factors of Positive Youth Development are related to the relationships youth form and how they are treated. Lerner’s 5 C’s help us to understand what our youth need to succeed and how we can facilitate positive development. Praising and understanding youth is the main contributor to key life skills, and should be the main foundation of relationships in sport with youth.

References:

Choosakul, C., Vongjaturapat, N., Li, F., & Harmer, P. (2009). The sport commitment model: An investigation of structural relationships with Thai youth athlete populations. Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 13(3), 123-139.

Mossman, G. J., & Cronin, L. D. (2019). Life skills development and enjoyment in youth soccer: The importance of parental behaviours. Journal of Sports Sciences, 37(8), 850-856.

Modifying Canadian Youths Overall Physical Activity

By: Zach Brown

Physical Activity in Canada can be thought of in many different ways. There is the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good contains successes at the international level in high level amateur sport. At the last Olympics in 2018 Canada had 29 total medals at that Winter Olympics, only two countries had more. In the 2016 Olympics Canada had 22 medals placing in the top 10 of the summer Olympic games.

The bad is the ever growing problem of youth dropout in sport. Why are numbers growing with youth quitting their given sport, when we, as a country, have such great international success? Why are youth being less physically active?

The ugly is the Participation report card in general. Canada Scoring a D+ on the report card for physical activity in children and youth.

Canada has succeeded on the international stage of recent but should this really be a topic of concern. Since Own the Podium (OTP; a high performance athletic organization in Canada) has been developed there has undoubtedly been a rise in medal count for Canada at the Olympics. There has been a tremendous amount of money invested in programs that offer no return. Yet, the percentage of youth who participate in organized sport has gone down, and investing in youth organized sport participation does offer a return in a healthier population.

The common question after reading this would be why are we investing a large amount of money into such a small factor of Canadians, when we could be impacting so many more people within our own country. This fact is very hard to make sense of, why not invest in the whole population and only in such a small percentile?

As we touched on in class, early specialization can be a good thing, but it has tremendous backlash as burnout and other factors may play a role later on in youth development. With this model of athletics in Canada, early specialization may come into effect more often than it previously did in sport, leisure and recreation in Canada. The key effect however that early specialization has on physical activity is that early specialization does not only include organized sport, it includes any sport or program. Physical activity is a key part of youth development and a child may feel they do not want to be physically active with a negative experience that could happen if they were exposed to early specialization.

This would be a positive modification to organized sport in Canada.

Sport is seemingly starting to not appear to be fun anymore in Canadian contexts. Why is organized sport in Canada not a must for Canadian kids anymore? Is it because there are alternative methods of sport, leisure and recreation in Canada now? There is but as the ParticipACTION report card suggests it may not be the most effective considering the extremely low grades we have received in 2020.

The factors and grades are as listed:

-Overall physical activity (D+) 

-Active play (F)

-Active Transportation (D-)

-Organized sport (B)

-Physical education (D+)

-Sedentary Behaviours (D+)

-Sleep (B)

-24 hour movement behaviours (F)

-Physical literacy (D+)

-Physical Fitness (D)

-Household (C)

-School (B-)

-Community and environment (B+)

-Government (B)

As you can see the investments in organized sport has not resulted in good physical activity within Canadian youth. This may be due to the fact that some parents may believe that being physically active is simply participating in organized sport. However there is much more that needs to be done, to reach youth being physically healthy which is a problem in Canada as indicated above.

A modification could be made in trying to just simply get kids more active, maybe incorporate some leisure-like activities more than sport to try and get youth more active within a daily basis.

Make activities more accessible for youth to participate in. What is meant by this is more family friendly fun for everyone. For example, it is very rare to go to a community basketball court and see different size basketball hoops. If communities focused on getting an entire population to play, we would have a higher rate of physical activity in Canada. The same can be said for any other sport. How can we get more people to play away from organized sport? I would encourage more sports such as floor/road hockey to be played in the summer even if it is not possible due to an overpopulated area. We should be encouraging places to give areas to kids just to simply play. We should encourage kids to play pick-up road hockey or games of tag between neighbors, these are easy ways for kids to become more physically active.

A modification that can be made is easier equipment for kids to use. For example, lighter pucks for kids to shoot, or smaller baskets for kids to shoot on would make the sport more appealing for kids at a younger age. Another add on can be that adults can encourage their kids to simply play rather than to play only in an organized environment. This in turn would result in higher physical activity grades for the ParticipACTION report card and ultimately an healthier population.

Needless to say after making this blog post, there is definitely a problem in youth development in Canada that has to be looked at. As an aspiring physical educator, this problem of youth inactivity is an issue that is very important to me. I feel after doing some research on certain government implications that are in place, finding some of the results of physical activity in our country and an opinion of how we can do better in physical activity in youth development for Canada, that we must strive for better in the physical health of youth in this country. It may start with more of a commitment, but the best way may be to simply let youth experiment and try things themselves.

Regardless this post was fun to make and maybe gave a new idea to this problem.

References

Dowling, M., & Smith, J. (2016). The Institutional Work of Own the Podium in Developing High-Performance Sport in Canada. Journal of Sport Management, 30(4), 396–410.

Click to access f6854240-ef7c-448c-ae5c-5634c41a0170_2020_Report_Card_Children_and_Youth_Full_Report.pdf

 

Youth Physical Activity in Contrast to Rural vs Urbanized Communities

Written by Ashtyn Smith

Yousefian et al. (2009) states that youth living in rural areas are at a greater risk for physical inactivity and obesity. In the United States a national study took place and resulted in 16% of youth aged 6-19 years old are overweight. This seems to be even more evident for youth residing in rural environments . The promotion of active living and safer physical activity seem to be prominent in urbanized areas where they add sidewalks, bike paths, and easy access to parks and trails (Yousefian et al., 2009). Living within city limits makes means youth are more likely to have healthy amounts of physical activity and accessibility to transportation.

Machado-Rodrigues et al. (2014) hypothesized that whether youth are more physically active in rural vs urban communities depends distinctly on geographical location. Higher levels of obesity have been noted amongst adolescents in rural settings within the location of Canada, USA, and Spain yet China reports a higher level of obese youth in their urban populations.

“Physical Activity occurs in social contexts that have specific demands and constraints such as opportunities for walking, access to playgrounds, proximity to shopping centers, and so on” (Machado-Rodrigues et al., 2014, p. 119). Multiple studies have been done regarding the inactivity and obesity of youth in rural vs urban communities and the studies always vary with their statistics. It is all about what urban or rural communities offer for social services and means for a gym or fitness facility. For an example a small rural community about an hour northwest of Fredericton New Brunswick has a gym located approximately twenty minutes outside of town limits. We can hypothesize that a lot of the rural families are getting more physical activity because the services provided accommodates to their physical needs better than the services offered within town limits. The same goes for bigger urbanized areas. Geographically speaking, youth physical inactivity and obesity is going to vary depending on a variety of components. Some of the components that will effect adolescents and their behaviors towards physical activity and recreation and sports depends on influence of parents and other important adults, technology and screen time and easy access to facilities and transportation. These factors are all vital to the amount of physical activity youth would be getting in their day to day lives. The statistics from Oxford Academic Journal state that in Canada, adolescents in rural communities are more obese and receiving less physical activity because our cities are designed so hardly any accessibility to transportation services or sports camps extend past city limits (Machado-Rodrigues et al., 2012). In fact, parents who enroll their kid into a sport in the city of Fredericton and are outside of city limits have to pay an additional fee for different hockey and other sporting camps offered within the city of Fredericton. This fact alone has detrimental effects to lack of youth sport participation within rural areas. Income status also plays a role in youth participation for sports. Living costs are always higher in the cities, so its likely that higher percentages of poverty reside in rural areas compared to urban areas.

Loucaides, Plotnikoof, and Bercovitz (2007) found that Canadian youth living in rural and urban areas have similar physically active lifestyles, but urban communities are prominent. This is due to the multi-sector approach urban communities have with promotion to physical activity within family, school and community. Urban and rural youth have common correlations related to physical activity because a study found that despite the geographical location, numerous factors play into the statistics that 43% of youth in urban schools have physical activity in their day-to-day life where as rural school students only had a statistic of 38% for their physical activity range. These percentages differ due to the implications that gender does play a role. Girls are known to be less physically fit than males. Peers and siblings also play a role in how physically fit adolescents are. If youth grow up in a location where they can go play with their friends all the time, then this is going to create a healthier lifestyle for children versus a child growing up in an area where they have no one to toss a ball or go to the park with.

To conclude, urban vs rural communities differ in their statistics of adolescents’ physical inactivity and obesity ranges depending on social services, geographical location, income status, transportation/accessibility and influences within the home. In a perfect world, if everyone had the same home life, income and peer influences and we were specifically addressing urban vs rural location, then yes, urban communities are going to have better ranges of physical activity and health statistics because they are closer to facilities and have a wider range of activities, sports clubs and recreation programs for youth to participate in. Although this is not the case. There are so many families in urban and rural communities with different income levels, unsteady home lives and different peer influences and friend groups, therefore it does not matter how many times a survey study has been done, rates of obesity and physical inactivity will constantly teeter totter between the prominence of inactivity in urban or rural communities depending on all of the factors listed above. Taking into consideration all these factors (gender, income, peer and parental influence, facilities, transportation) yes, Canada seems to display a higher obesity rate in adolescents in rural communities.

References:

Loucaides, C. A., Plotnikoff, R. C., & Bercovitz, K. (2007). Differences in the correlates of physical activity between urban and rural Canadian youth. Journal of School Health, 77(4), 164-170.

Machado-Rodrigues, A. M., Coelho-E-Silva, M. J., Mota, J., Padez, C., Martins, R. A., Cumming, S. P., … & Malina, R. M. (2014). Urban–rural contrasts in fitness, physical activity, and sedentary behaviour in adolescents. Health promotion international, 29(1), 118-129.

Yousefian, A., Ziller, E., Swartz, J., & Hartley, D. (2009). Active living for rural youth: addressing physical inactivity in rural communities. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 15(3), 223-231.

Benefits of Free Play for Youth

By: Lindsey Bryant

Free play, or unstructured play, is necessary to a child’s positive development. Society has recently shifted putting a larger focus on structured activities for young children such as organized sport. Structured activities are scientifically shown to have many benefits to youth. This is what attracts parents to sign their children up for as many sports or clubs as possible. The catch, that most parents don’t think about, is the lack of time for free play this is creating for children. “Opportunities for children to engage in unstructured PA during school includes recesses, before and after school, and free time (Kinder, Gauldreaut, & Simonton. 2020). If children are participating in activities everyday before/after school, then the only times allotted for free play for youth would be recess and any other free time. Although recess is considered free play, there are still boundaries for youth that they don’t typically have at home during free play. A video we recently watched in RSS 3223 called Lost Adventures of Childhood, discussed the harmful effects of children having not enough unstructured play. Some youth were doing their homework in the car on their way to sport practice because they simply did not have enough time between practices and club meetings. The negative effects of kids not being allowed to just play far outweigh the benefits of structured activities, when you are signing your children up for so many sports that they don’t have any free time. 

Free play, especially in early childhood years, is critical to youths’ development. It allows children to develop their own interests, while using the creative parts of their brains. The LACE model of developmental elements of leisure suggests that doing nothing is necessary for youth to be creative and do their best thinking. You can’t recreate, in a classroom, the learning children do while playing outside. Youth need to feel grass on their feet and get dirty to learn about nature. Pretending a stick is a sword and having a ‘combat’ with their siblings encourages youth to explore new things and get creative with what they have around them. Lenore Skenazy wrote in her book “Free-Range Kids” that make-believe play increases patience and problem-solving skills (2013). 

Another benefit of free play is that it allows youth to take a break, which increases their productivity at school, or with homework. Children can’t properly perform at school if they are exhausted from their extracurricular activities. By giving children time to just be themselves, you are actually helping them learn better at school. Children need to be awake, and unstressed to do their best learning. One of the greatest ways to help with that is by giving them free time. Send your children outside after school for a couple of hours and then they can start their homework or chores. A clear mind helps anyone accomplish tasks, even adults. At the daycare I worked at, I noticed that kids did their homework much better if we had free time outside first. Kids have sat in a structured environment for 8 hours at school. When they get to daycare, they need that free time before they can properly think to do their homework. 

Free time should be monitored to ensure that it is beneficial to youth. Too much sedentary behaviour can be harmful to youth development. By this, I mean letting your child go on the computer for hours, or watch tv all day, are not positive ways to have free play. When children are bored for long periods of time it can increase the likelihood of them participating in risky behaviours. Sometimes, free play is associated with boredom, therefore we may have to aid youth in how to have proper free play. Unstructured play can still have supervision. This could look like, helping your child come up with an activity they can do outside, or taking them for a walk to the park and watching them play, or even telling them how you used to use your free time as a child. If you think your child is becoming bored of their free play, then try giving them a hand at having fun. 

The 40 developmental assets for children ages 5-9 states that constructive use of time is a contributing factor in healthy adolescent development. In their description of constructive use of time, the Search Institute states that a mix of structured activities, with alone time, and time with family is important. Another asset stated by the Search Institute is positive values. We know it’s important to get outside because our parents told us growing up, however, youth seem to be going outside less and less now. If we ensure our children know how important it is to be outside, by encouraging free play, then we are helping instill that value of nature in them. 

Supporting youth as players in their own development is a principle of youth development. This is accomplished by allowing youth to contribute to their own ideas. Structured play can allow children to come up with their own ideas, however, it often silences their voices. Free play encourages youth to think and make their own ideas. When youth are deciding what they are going to do, they go through a thinking process of what they are in the mood for, and how they are going to play what they want, specifically when they have to make the materials they need, themselves. Rather than telling children exactly how to play a game, instead try encouraging them to come up with their own games, and rules. 

Overall, structured activities are important, but unstructured play cannot be forgotten. Youth need to be able to explore and create using their own mind and bodies. As a parent, try ensuring there is time each day for your child to have free play. As a teacher, especially in elementary school, try to take time every now and then to allow children to make choices and decide what activity they are going to do. As a society we need to make sure we are letting kids just be kids, it’s how they develop their personalities. Don’t restrict their creativity!

References:

Kinder, C. J., Gaudreault, K. L., & Simonton, K. (2020). Structured and unstructured contexts in physical education: Promoting activity, learning and motivation, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 91(6), 30-35, DOI: 10.1080/07303084.2020.1768181

Skenazy, L., 2013. Free-Range Kids, How To Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass.

Search Institute. 40 Developmental Assets Model

Whether Stern Training for Olympic Seeds is Necessary or Not

 

by Tianying Li

Citius – Altius – Fortius is the motto of the Olympic games, which means faster, higher, and stronger. It also represents the human race’s spirit to keep pushing through limits. However, with rising concern for human rights and body limitations, the pursuit of being faster and stronger seems to be no longer vital in some countries. Still, in east Asian countries like China and Japan, rigorous training is going on all the time. This leads to denouncements started by western countries such as the US and the UK, accusing China and Japan of violating human rights.

People might argue that there are differences between China and developed countries because China, by the 90s, was a totally developing country. Poverty and food shortages were still matters for a big percent of the population. China was traumatized by the Cultural Revolution, which ended just before the 80s. According to Hong (2004), by that time, there were reasons why being an athlete was so important in China. First of all, as a big country, China had always been suffering from its not matched international status. Because of its long period of chaos and poverty, many other nations never treated China fairly. The Olympic Games that happened every four years would be a considerably just stage for China and its athletes to prove to the whole world that China has been revived from the trauma before. And even with the lack of capital and technology, we still could keep producing elite athletes. Thus, it would be an honor to join in the Games on behalf of the country. Also, China was publishing a policy related to the reward system of the Olympic medalist. According to Tan and Green (2006), about 23,000 US dollars could be rewarded to each Olympic medalist, which back in the 90s or 00s, could be considered as a huge amount of money in China. That is why some families would send their kids to sports schools, even though they would undergo a long period of strenuous training.

Even with reasons like that, China and Japan’s way of treating their young athletes could indeed be considered overly harsh. The bonus from winning in a game could be considered rich, but parents could be overconfident back then and give all of their hope to a slight possibility.  According to Hong (2004), Lu Li, a former Chinese gymnast who won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games at the age of 13, started her first day at sport school while she was only 6. At the age of 14, with all the injuries and pain, she was trying to retire. Surprisingly, Lu was one of only a few teenagers who suffered from such a situation during that time. Apparently, there were about 400,000 teenagers who were living just like her. Hong (2004) stated that most of these kids back then had a rigid schedule. Normally they would get up at 6 in the morning and then had a 2-hour training session right away. And after having breakfast at 8, they had to go through another 4-6 hours of training throughout the day. After years of training, talented ones would be picked by the provincial teams, and the national team would choose only the top ones among the 400,000. And only they could have a chance to be involved in the Olympics.

Other than the training itself, harassment and discrimination could also be seen as problems that are negatively related to adolescents’ psychological health. According to Odhiambo (2020), violence and abuse always seem to be a part of these young athletes’ sport experience. Inappropriate touching and physical abuse happened countless times during training. People all understand that strict discipline and harsh punishments are characteristics of Asian education, whether for studying or raising an elite athlete. However, people could sometimes ignore the fact that there is a limitation of how much a person could bear. Odhiambo (2020) offered the example that during the 80s, a young female athlete in Japan committed suicide just after she qualified for the national championship. She left a note that said she was tired of getting hit and did not want to live anymore. Even with several events like this happening, people are still using the terms “hitting with love” or “whipping with love.” Even without hitting, verbal insults could also be unbearable. The ignoring of the teenager’s human rights could be outrageous. One of the reasons this type of event happened a lot in Japan, according to Odhiambo (2020), is partly because of the flaws of Japanese laws in terms of child abuse prevention. Even with strict laws against child abuse and corporal abuse in schools and families, child abuse in sports was somehow being ignored. Therefore, it gives some coaches a chance to take advantage of these flaws and cause catastrophic repercussions.

To sum up, with the development of human rights, people should also notice that even fit, young athletes could be vulnerable groups, and their safety should put in the first place. The world has passed the time when young kids should take the responsibility to bring pride to a nation. People should not put national pride before the safety of the youth. Moreover, beating or other corporal punishment or insulting should be forbidden and should not be defined by lies like “ hitting with love.” People should also be working on perfect the laws and find out the flaws, and hopefully, no one could ever harm kids blatantly.

References:

Hong, F. (2004). Innocence lost: child athletes in China. Sport in society, 7(3), 338-354.

Odhiambo, A. (2020). Tackling Kenya’s Domestic Violence Amid COVID-Crisis.

Tan, T. C., & Green, M. (2008). Analysing China’s drive for Olympic success in 2008. The international journal of the history of sport, 25(3), 314-338.

How Leisure Education Can Positively Affect Youths Living in Poverty

By Joe H.

Youth living in poverty or youth living in impoverished areas face many barriers to participating in sport, recreation and leisure, they also face many barriers when it comes to their overall development. For example, according to Statistics Canada, children living in poverty are less likely to succeed in school, are at higher risk of health issues, developmental delays and behavioral disorders (Fleury, 2008). We also know that youth living in poverty are less likely to participate in sport and recreation activities than youth from higher income backgrounds. This can be for a multitude of reasons, such as, program fees, program locations, equipment access, transportation, availability or lack of knowledge of sponsorship funds, and many more barriers that low-income families face to participation in sport and recreation. It is our job as sport and recreation practitioners to find ways to combat these many barriers to participation for low-income youth, as this will directly impact their development. For me, the many barriers that youth from low-income backgrounds face when it comes to accessing sport and recreation services go way beyond a simple lack of money. Hence why I feel leisure education and encouraging active participation in one’s own leisure activities is so important when trying to fix these problems. Leisure education helps participants gain a better understanding of how, when, why, and with whom they can pursue leisure experiences and interests. Leisure education also helps participants to learn more functional responses and tools based on their individual strengths, limitations, and environment.

“It is particularly important in resource-restricted contexts to help youth learn to develop leisure interests and goals that are in the realm of the possible” (Lerner, 2001). We must note that youth from low-income backgrounds may not know how to engage in healthy leisure interests or are not aware of what exists. Hence why intervention is key. This is where leisure education becomes so important within these communities. Organizations such as ‘TimeWise: Taking Charge of Leisure Time’ and Recreation Opportunities for Children Inc. (ROC) are perfect examples of how big of an impact leisure education can have in a child’s development. ‘TimeWise’ was designed to help youth learn about free time, develop leisure skills, and how to take responsibility for creating positive sport, recreation and leisure experiences. And ROC developed a comprehensive leisure education program targeted at families living in poverty. Both organizations also offer support to families and youth such as, sponsorship money to help with fees, provide equipment, help with transportation etc. However, the leisure education element of their organization is so imperative, as they recognize that just providing traditional support such as financial support only made the families and children’s leisure experiences dependent on them, the organization. The ROC “wanted to know that when they were done working with a family that they were leaving them with a greater appreciation for leisure and recreation, but also the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to create their own leisure experiences as best they could” (ROC, 2020).

TimeWise’s six core lessons that they teach to youth are, “(a) determine personally satisfying and meaningful leisure activities and interests, (b) understand the benefits of participating in healthy leisure, (c) understand how one’s motivation affects one’s experience and participation in healthy behaviours, (d) alleviate boredom and increase optimal experience in leisure time, (e) learn how to take responsible action to participate in desired activities, and (f) identify and overcome constraints that get in the way of participation in desired activities” (Caldwell & Smith, 2016). By teaching youth living in poverty all these lessons you can see how this type of leisure education can really transform their, lives, development and leisure experiences for the better. All the different lessons they teach can be linked to the Search Institute’s ’40 developmental assets’ in more than one way. For example the youth whom have participated in TimeWise’s recreation and sport education will feel empowered, as they will perceive that the adults within their community value them as they are taking the time and effort to try to improve their lives. This is a direct example of external asset #7, which contributes to healthy youth development. Another example of how these six core lessons links to the ’40 Developmental Assets’ is through lesson ‘E’ “learn how to take responsible action to participate in desired activities”. This lesson links with internal asset #37 ‘Personal Power – Young person feels he or she has control over “things that happen to me”’. By educating the youth on how to take control and be active participants in their own recreation, sport and leisure activities, TimeWise and the use of leisure education as a tool is directly contributing to this asset and the youths overall development. That will help them grow up a healthy, caring, responsible and well-rounded member of society.

I wanted to blog about this issue as I have had direct experiences working with youth from low-income backgrounds. Throughout my two years as a community soccer coach, I went to a lot of different schools and facilities in a lot of local areas. It became so clear to me that those living and going to schools in much more impoverished areas had so few opportunities in every aspect, but specifically in relation to sport and recreation, in comparison to those living in affluent areas. Things like personal equipment, equipment at the schools or facilities, quality of education or family life etc. This hit me hard because as I started to build bonds and relationships with these youths that I coached, it became apparent that youths that come from low income backgrounds are no different from the youths that come from more affluent areas. The only difference is the opportunities that are afforded to them and their perception of sport, recreation and leisure. I saw this first-hand, but to also see Statistics Canada saying the same thing (opening paragraph) but with evidence and hard numbers only makes me more upset and worried about this issue. It’s time we change our approach when it comes to dealing with this issue, and as I have hopefully shown within this blog post I believe that leisure education for families and young people coming from low-income backgrounds is such viable and reasonable alternative or addition to the normal methods being used that clearly aren’t working. We must empower and educate youth in order to allow them better sport, recreation and leisure opportunities and allow them to become self sufficient in how to partake in healthy leisure activities. By doing this we can improve youth development within Canada and throughout the world.

References:

Caldwell, L. L., & Smith, E. A. (2016). Leisure as a Context for Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.970.8348

Fleury, D. (2008). Low-income children. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-001-x/2008105/article/10578-eng.htm

Lerner, R.M., Freund, A.M., De Stefanis, I., & Habermas, T. (2001). Understanding developmental regulation in adolescence: The use of the selection, optimization, and compensation model. Human Development, 44, 29–50

ROC. (2020, July 13). Transforming Children’s Lives Through Recreation. Retrieved October 29, 2020, from https://www.roceastman.ca/

Sport Dropout for Canadian Girls

by Meghan B.

Released in June 2020 by Canadian Women and Sport (in partnership with JumpStart), the Rally Report outlines and describes the sport climate for women and girls in Canada. The report focuses on gender inequity in sport in Canada, namely sport participation levels, dropout levels, and the barriers to participation for girls. In addition to this, they offer suggested actions stakeholders (parents, coaches, administrators, etc.) can take to create positive change.

Although the report focuses on many aspects of women and girls’ participation in sport, I will be focusing on the sport dropout portion. The report provides statistics and answers taken from a survey collected from 10,000 Canadians (75% women and girls) ages 13-63. People surveyed included athletes, parents, coaches, administrators, and other adults. Although opportunities in sport for women have increased and improved over time, the report demonstrates that a lot of work still needs to be done. Gender inequity in sport is still a major problem in Canada; these inequities are seen in the opportunities women and girls have in sport, as well as the way they are taught and portrayed. Ultimately, the report states that attention and deliberate action needs to occur to combat against the inequalities women and girls face in sport. 

The Importance of Sport Participation for Girls

As we have learned in class, sports offer many opportunities for children and adolescents. Sport participation (when the experience is positive) fosters positive youth development by giving youth the opportunity to develop assets and skills that benefit them across a lifetime. Specifically for girls, the report states that sport participation impacts how women and girls perceive themselves (now and in the future). Women who participated in sport during their youth reported higher levels of physical health, commitment, intelligence, confidence, happiness, and success (all self-perceptions). In addition to these self-perceptions, a correlation between sport participation and leadership exists. As cited in the report, 94% of women surveyed who hold executive positions participated in sport, with 74% of them citing sport as an accelerator of their career. Not only do sports allow girls to develop leadership qualities, sport participation is cited as a major factor in women being successful in the workforce and beyond. 

Dropout Levels

To get an idea about the dropout levels for girls in sport, we must look at the participation levels over time and how they compare to those of boys. Participation levels for boys and girls ages 6-8 are relatively the same (approximately 54%). However, differences begin to emerge in the older age groups. For example, 58% of girls ages 8-12 participate in sport weekly, as compared to 68% percent of boys. Further, 47% of girls ages 13-15 (64% of boys this age) and 38% of girls ages 16-18 (56% for boys 16-18) participate in sport weekly. These statistics are an obvious demonstration that more girls drop out of sport as they grow up. In addition to this, the steepest decrease in participation occurs during adolescence. 1 in 3 girls drop out of sport during adolescence, as compared to 1 in 10 boys. These statistics demonstrate that girls and boys experience and benefit from sport in different ways and that a gender lens needs to be used in sport.

The dropout levels for girls in sport present many problems. Not only is it a problem for girls because they miss out on the many benefits that sports have to offer (long-term health and well-being, skill development, academic and career success), it is also a problem for sport in the long-term. Higher dropout levels for girls decreases the amount of women involved in sport throughout their lifetimes as spectators, coaches, leaders, administrators, and officials. 

Barriers

To understand why girls drop out of sport, we must look at the barriers they face. All of these barriers increase through adolescence, which leads us to believe that they are considered major factors in why girls drop out. The barriers presented in the report include: access (lack of time, location, etc.), quality of the program (program not specifically designed for girls, lack of quality coaches, not enough positive role models, too competitive), alternatives available, cost, confidence, skill, body image, social aspects, injuries, safety, and religion and culture. One in 3 girls reported that low confidence, negative body image, perceived lack of skill, and poor perceptions of belonging and feeling unwelcome were factors in not continuing in sport.

In addition to these barriers, there are other factors that affect participation and dropout levels. These factors include ability, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and location. Girls who face these additional constraints reported increased levels of barriers listed above. This shows that gender and age are not the only factors in participation and dropout levels; there are many intersecting factors that need to be considered. 

Actions to Take

There are many actions that can be taken to decrease dropout levels for girls. As demonstrated by the barriers of continued participation, programs need to focus on building skills and instilling confidence and making the sport experience enjoyable and socially inclusive, all while allowing girls to be physically active and experience the physical and health benefits of sport participation. In addition to this, positive sport influences are very important for keeping girls in sport. Parents are listed as the number one influence of sport participation, while siblings, teachers, coaches, older peers in the same sport, and high performance/professional athletes all have influence as well. For girls, it is especially important to have female role models and influences. Female coaches and leaders can offer advice, relate to their athletes in a way that can only happen between females, prove stereotypes wrong, and ultimately show girls the possibilities of sport. Women are currently underrepresented in sport leadership positions. Due to the influential capabilities of women role models and leaders, we need to continue to strive to increase the number of female role models for young girls involved in sport. The power of female role models cannot be dismissed and forgotten when trying to decrease sport dropout levels for girls. 

Moreover, the report lists a number of actions and strategies parents, coaches, officials, and other leaders can take to decrease dropout levels. These actions are:

1. Provide developmentally appropriate, safe and inclusive, and well-run sports that foster quality experiences. *SCM, SDT
2. Encourage and support girls to participate in a variety of sports, offering them choice and autonomy in what to play, to support development of fundamental movement skills and resiliency in participation over time. *SCM, AGT, SDT
3. Provide access to positive and diverse role models to help girls envision the possibilities of sport. *SCM, SDT
4. Involve girls and women in the design, delivery, and evaluation of sport programs and opportunities, to connect to their motivations and improve the effectiveness of the approaches. *SCM, AGT, SDT
5. Maintain girls’ confidence and competence by focusing on ongoing skill development.  *AGT, SDT
6. Seek or provide training on girl-centered design and approaches to ensure programs are designed intentionally to meet needs and interests. *SCM
7. Provide specific positive reinforcement, with constructive feedback offered privately to support girls’ skill development and confidence building. Avoid comparisons with other participants.  *AGT, SDT
8. Create an environment that supports the development of healthy social connections among participants and leaders. *SCM, SDT
9. Develop zero-tolerance policies on weight and body commentary to create body-positive spaces for all participants. Focus commentary on what the participants can do, not what they look like. *SCM, AGT, SDT
10. Prevent physical injuries by gaining education and implementing policies and practices specific to injury prevention for girls. *AGT
11. Establish peer mentoring opportunities for girls from traditionally disadvantaged groups to foster belonging. *SCM, SDT

These actions fit in well with the three models/theories pertaining to sport dropout, the Sport Commitment Model (SCM; Scanlan et al., 1993), the Achievement Goal Theory (AGT; Nicholls, 1984), and the Self-Determination Theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2008). The coloured letters next to each action above show which theory/model they involve (red for SCM, blue for AGT, and grey for SDT). The involvement of the theories/models shows that the actions/strategies have been well thought out and designed, and are supported by research. Ultimately, the goal of these actions/strategies presented in the report is to lessen dropout levels for girls and women in sport. By integrating aspects of the aforementioned models/theories, Since each action is supported by research and proven theories, I believe they are an important and effective step for programmers, coaches, and other leaders to take in order to decrease dropout levels in girls.  

Tying it all Together

Overall, this report demonstrates that there is a dire need to focus on sport dropout levels of Canadian girls. Although dropout levels are a concern for all athletes, the statistics provided show that stark differences exist between girls and boys. Ultimately, special attention and focus needs to be put on female athletes because girls experience sport differently than boys. There is so much that needs to and can be done to improve the overall sporting experience and environment for women and girls. Although many improvements have already been made in terms of inclusion and opportunities offered, much more needs to happen. If this topic interests you, I would definitely recommend taking a look at the full report. It includes many more aspects of female sport participation in Canada that I didn’t discuss but that are nonetheless important. The link is provided below!

Reference:

Canadian Women and Sport. (2020, June). The Rally Report: Encouraging Action to Improve Sport for Women and Girls [PDF]. Retrieved from https://womenandsport.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Canadian-Women-Sport_The-Rally-Report.pdf

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2008). Self-determination theory: A macrotheory of human motivation, development, and health. Canadian psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 49(3), 182.

Nicholls, J. G. (1984). Achievement motivation: Conceptions of ability, subjective experience, task choice,and performance. Psychological Review, 91, 328-346.

Scanlan, T. K., Carpenter, P. J., Simons, J. P., Schmidt, G. W., & Keeler, B. (1993). An introduction to the sport commitment model. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 15(1), 1-15.

Does the Helicopter Parent have a Negative Impact on a Child’s Life?

By Andrew P.

As young adults, we often find ourselves looking back to our past. Reminiscing back on what we see as fond memories of childhood. If we were to compare these memories with those of our parents, we see that there is a distinct difference in how the upbringing occurred. People from our parents’ generation generally had little to no parental involvement when it came down to daily activities while, for us, it seems as though with everything that we have done, our parents were involved more often. Fast forward to today’s youth and we see the new breed parent… The helicopter parent is the newest trend among life givers. Children cannot do anything without their parents being involved nor can they stray away from the direct eye sight of their loving parents.  This led me to think about possible effects that this kind of parenting could have on this next generation as they grow and develop into teens and young adults themselves. Could there be a downside to over protecting your child? That is what I would like to talk about in this blog post.

To me, the most important part is the well being of the child. This should be the focus of any parent in my opinion. Thinking of helicopter parents, they clearly have the well being of the child in mind, but is it possible that it is too much? I feel that it could be. In the film that we were asked to watch, “Lost Adventures of Childhood” there was a part that mentions a woman that allowed her son to make his way home walking and using the subway on his own. Ryff’s (1989) discusses the eudemonic well-being measure attempts to capture how well an individual thrives and functions when facing certain challenges. When I think of this with connection to the hovering helicopter parents, I feel that their children could potentially face issues when it comes down to problem solving as they age. If the children are use to their parents always being close and always protecting them, this could potentially inhibit their ability to solve some problems. Comparing this back to my childhood, I had protective parents, but I had freedoms that had to be earned. My parents and I had a mutual respect for each other and that led to me having been able to spend time with friends, walk home from school and so on. These things helped me learn a few things like managing pain if I hurt myself while playing, how to meet people without my parents introducing us, and how to solve disputes among my friends. Tying my upbringing back to the 40 developmental assets, I was lucky enough to have had all of the support external assets in my life (Shannon-McCallum, 2020). I feel that these things could potentially be hard to do if you are not given that bit of freedom away from your parents.

Another issue that comes to mind when I think of helicopter parents is the potential for the child to face burnout. Shannon- McCallum (2020) speaks on the Lecture 12 slideshow that social determination theory recognizes that different social environments will facilitate one’s involvement in different activities. I tie this in with the helicopter parent situation because again, I feel that the children may not be able to participate in the things that their parents do not like. Another example from my childhood comes down to a friend of mine. His parents would fall into the helicopter parent category and put him into sports that they felt were safe. Badminton was his primary sport for years and no matter how much he wanted, he was not allowed to play basketball even if it was with his friends at the park. This, over time, made him feel very annoyed to the point that he lost his interest in playing badminton (a sport he was very good at) along with learning how to play other sports. This lack of freedom to do what he wanted in terms of sports participation led him to no longer have interest in playing organized sport which is very unfortunate. 

All of this in mind, I would like to reiterate that helicopter parents are not the end of the world. I feel that there should be a certain level of protection and pressure that parents give to their children in order to keep them motivated and keep them striving for their own greatness. When a child is born, they have a blank mind that learns from their surroundings. There comes a point in their lives that they need to start learning things for themselves so that they will not need to be reliant on their parents, this is a part of life that some parents need to face. In many cases, giving children that little bit of freedom is the best learning tool they will receive. I know that when the day comes for me to have my own family I will probably want to be around my children all the time as well, but I realize that this could maybe have some negative implications on their lives, so I will do what I have to do to give them everything they need to have the best chance.

Reference:

Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069.

Shannon-McCallum, C. (2020) Lecture 6- Slides for 40 Developmental Assets and the Five C’s of Positive Youth Development. (Power point presentation) Retrieved from D2L Brightspace.

Shannon-McCallum, C (2020) Lecture 12- Slides for Youth Sport Drop Out and Adherence. (power point presentation) Retrieved from D2L Brightspace