What do you spend on sports?

I hear this asked a lot.  Parents see the cost of joining little league and wonder, "Is it worth it?" "Is everybody spending this much on their kids?" and "How can they afford that?"

Unfortunately this isn't an easy question to answer.  Every family and every child is different.

If you are a sports family and that is your thing, then you are probably going to spend a lot more on sports than the family who just isn't as into it.  And that's okay.  If your family loves spending hours and hours out at the soccer field watching big sister play, great!  The money you are spending on sports leagues isn't just about the child enjoying it, it's also providing entertainment for the whole family.

Should you pay for your child to join a city league or just let them play ball for free at school?  That's going to depend on your goals.  Is your child going to play sports in college?  Letting them play at a higher (more expensive) level might be the advantage they need to get a scholarship.  But don't feel like you have to.  My kids hit the genetic lottery and inherited my slug-like reflexes and my husband's bat-like vision.  So there aren't likely to be any Division I athletic scholarships in their future.  And that's okay.  They still like sports.  But sports aren't their life.

My point is, it's about choices.  You need to chose what's best for your family.  If the neighbor just signed his son up for a $1000 basketball camp, should you feel guilty if you don't do the same?  NO.  And if your family is spending thousands of dollars on gymnastics tournaments every other weekend, should you feel the need to justify that expense to your friends?  NO.  If you want to spend the equivalent of a mortgage payment on spandex that's okay (assuming your kids enjoy it, and you can afford it, and it's not being put on a credit card).

Questions like, "Where can I find a cheap t-ball league for my five-year-old?" are great.  Questions like, "Can you believe how much my neighbor spends on ice-skating lessons for her daughter?" are not okay.   Comparing never leads to happiness.

Find what works for your family within the bounds of your own budget, and be content to not worry about what the neighbor's kids are doing.


Marcia