Need advice: 8yr old wants to quit soccer mid-season

Dec 171 min read

So my daughter has been playing rec soccer since she was 5, and honestly she's pretty good at it. But this season she's decided she wants to focus on basketball instead. The soccer season has 4 games left. Do I make her finish it out to teach commitment, or let her switch? Part of me thinks pushing through teaches character but the other part doesn't want to force her into something she's not into. What would you guys do here? She's not a super competitive kid so it's not like she's a superstar who's abandoning her team.

12 comments349 views

Comments(12)

AAdam J.RegularDec 17

My take: have ONE conversation where you explain what finishing the season means, ask her if she's sure, then let HER decide. Don't make it about "following through" - make it about her preference. If she still wants to quit, she quits. That's actually a valuable lesson too

RReggie K.New DadDec 18

Let her quit. Rec soccer at 8 is supposed to be fun, not a contractual obligation. She's interested in basketball now which is awesome. 4 games left isn't the end of the world and honestly she'll resent the pressure if you force her through. Better to have her excited about basketball than dreading soccer

SSteve B.RegularDec 18

Let her quit. She's 8, not 18. If she's not into it anymore, forcing her to finish the season just teaches her that her preferences don't matter and that you care more about the sunk cost than her happiness

RRussell D.RegularDec 18

This is tough because I get wanting her to follow through, but real talk - she's 8. If she's already decided she doesn't want to play, forcing her through 4 games might just make her hate both sports. Let her switch. She learns more about herself that way

LLeo R.New DadDec 18

See I'd say the bigger question is whether she's actually interested in basketball or if she just wants to quit soccer. If there's a pattern of starting stuff and stopping whenever it gets hard, that's different than losing interest in a specific sport

AAl G.RegularDec 19

The "pretty good at it" comment made me think - is SHE proud of being good at soccer or is that just your observation? Because sometimes kids would rather switch to something new where everyone's equally bad lol. Might be worth exploring what actually appeals about basketball to her

MMiles B.New DadDec 18

4 games is not a huge ask though. Could you compromise and let her finish this short season then pivot to basketball next? That way she's not ditching mid-stream but she gets what she wants soon

TTony V.RegularDec 18

Being 'pretty good' at something doesn't mean she has to do it forever. Kids need to learn it's okay to try things and decide they'd rather do something else. Basketball might be her thing, you won't know unless you let her try

BBob G.RegularDec 19

I get wanting her to finish but also... when did we become the parents who force kids to do activities they don't want to do? That's the opposite of what we probably wanted growing up

GGreg H.RegularDec 19

Is she being pressured by friends to play basketball instead? That was the case with my daughter and honestly once I asked her directly she admitted yeah, her friend group switched to basketball. Just wanted to know if that's a factor here

GGary R.RegularDec 20

We had this with my son at age 7. Made him finish the season, he hated every minute, and now at 10 he refuses to do any sports. Probably should've just let him switch. YMMV but it bit us in the ass

DDominic E.RegularDec 17

The compromise idea above is solid. 4 games is genuinely short. Tell her she finishes the season, then basketball is the focus. That teaches follow-through without being a tyrant about it