I would like to think I'm not old. I still haven't reached that stage of life yet where I look at youngsters on the street and grumble - "In our time...". Yes, we've all heard that, haven't we? More often than not, this was/is followed by us storming out of the room away from our parents as they continue to find faults with our clothing, our habits and just about every advancement in science and technology. Thankfully, being only 20, I haven't lost track of the newest features in smartphones and gaming consoles available to us and I don't care how anyone dresses. My area of expertise is sports, and that is where my grumbling starts and ends.
I started playing outdoor sports when I was 4 years old. In fact, my parents made sure they put me in a school that encouraged sports like basketball and football. Apart from my practice and the occasional kick around during our lunch break, I made it a point to play cricket in my building. Every alternate evening, from 5 to 7, I would be hitting boundaries and sixes, breaking windows. We were all so dedicated to playing every free day we had that an absentee without a serious illness would be labelled as a girl (which was, at that time, by far the most offensive thing you could say to a 10-12 year old boy without getting his parents involved). There were elders who played cricket, about 22-23 years old, but they only showed up on Sundays, and even then, we, the younger lot, would be there before them, aiming to stifle their plans of playing without us. So, basically, we loved to be out of the house, primarily, playing cricket and making the most out of our time.
Coming back to 2013! I found something very alarming, recently, I went to play cricket in the building after about a six month hiatus. To my surprise, the same lot of boys that I grew up with and played cricket with ages ago were still the only ones playing. There were no kids. How is that possible? I've been bothered by kids' crying and screaming for too long for there not to be any kids in the building, so why aren't they here fighting to be first-at-bat? Was it because they were shoo'ed away like we were by the elder guys a decade ago? On some enquiry, I was left shocked. Half of the group of the new potential players were busy in classes at such a young, while the other half were busy watching Ben 10 live, even with all the recording and playback features available to them.
I can't help but feel sorry for those poor kids. I still haven't been able to wrap my head around the idea that there are 12-13 years olds that see us grown ups playing cricket with the same excitement we showed a decade ago, but they will probably never hold a bat again. Forget waiting till they discover internet pornography, they are no longer children, in my eyes. They are zombies. Going from home to school, from school to class, from class to home - they are stuck in a cycle they cannot break. Without help! Of course I'm asking you to help, and it's pretty simple. Toss a ball towards one of these zombie kids once in a while and see the happiness on their face when they see it landing into their hands, or when they feel the football at their feet. Slowly, the story will spread. More and more such kids will play catch-catch or even join you when you are playing with your friends, if only they are guided towards it.
Now, to the parents - You are just looking out for your kids, I'm sure, but there's a problem. You are so goal-driven that you send your kids to a French class, Guitar class and Dance class, to go along with school and tuitions, all in one day. If your son or daughter tells you that he/she wants to the next Kurt Cobain or Shiamak Davar, only then enroll them into those classes. (Of course, first make sure if they want to be Kurt for his guitar skills or his drug habit). Today's generation comes into contact with more characters on television and in the world than you can ever imagine. Let them decide whom they want to follow in the footsteps of. Forcing your unfulfilled dreams and desires on them will have them looking back towards you, at every step, to see if they have disappointed you. If they follow their own dreams, they'll want to succeed for themselves, and will learn to be more resilient too.
If all that I've written above goes to waste, and you still want to make sure your children learn something in every activity in which they partake, sports provide you with valuable life lessons that other activities might not.
- Teamwork
- Work Ethic
- Respect
- Overcoming Adversity
All of these are very important, and will help them become more complete individuals. Teamwork and Respect will help them when they work in groups for assignments or office projects, while a good work ethic and the ability to overcome adversity are two attributes that can differentiate between a good and a great employee.
Most of my readers don't have kids yet, which is a relief at 20, but whenever you do have kids, remember - Sports are important. Please don't deprive your child of the fun and excitement that comes with playing sports because people around you are sending their kids to a range of classes or even making them watch lots of unattended television because it keeps them busy. Researchers claim intelligence can be about 40% inherited. So, if you think you turned out alright playing sports and "wasting time with games", your kids have a good chance too. See you on the field!