Has your parent ever made you do something you didn’t want to do? It’s happened to practically every child. Obviously parents can make a child do chores or perhaps babysit a brother or sister, but what about activities away from home? Like at school.
Sometimes parents decide what is best for their child without them, and end up making them do something they don’t like to do. According to a recent survey of 131 students, 4% said their parents made them do an activity or sport they didn’t want to do, or no longer had any interest in.
“They wanted me to be more active. But I did not enjoy soccer. I wanted to be in badminton, which is something that I like,” freshman Savana Brown said.
She wanted to be active like her parents wanted, just not in the same sport they did. She felt she should have just been able to pick her own sport.
Freshman Jessica Homan didn’t want to try cross country, but her parents thought she would be good at it.
Sophomore Josh Masek also had to play football even though he didn’t like it. however he did agree that parents should be able to help their child pick out extracuriculars, because it helps to change up the normal routine.
“I didn’t like it, but it made me realize how much more I wanted to do other activities,” Masek said.
Sometimes students do choose an activity on their own, but decide later that they want to quit, but their parents won’t let them.
Junior Olivia Barrientos, said that she “wanted to quit band multiple times since I first joined back in fifth grade, and whenever I wanted to quit my mom wouldn’t let me.”
Barrientos wanted to quit because of the stress, but once her mother had paid for the instrument, she didn’t want her to give up.
Several other students also said cost was the reason a parent would not let them quit.
Although a parent’s choices might not always be what a student wants, many students admit they also have a good side.
Homan said, “Now I love cross country and it’s my life. I’m so glad I did it.”
Brown said she benefited from the experience because “it was a diverse group so I bonded and I got to know more about other people’s lives.” She met people who were in her age group, and could relate to her.
“I feel like I’ve benefitted by learning commitment, and also by getting to know the school before starting the first day freshmen year, and knowing a lot of peers to welcome me into the school,” Barrientos said.
She met other students who would be doing the same thing as she when she entered high school.
Overall, if parents get involed in their child’s extracuriculars it it can help “kids view the world from many other ways.” Masek said.