Moms Talk Q&A

The Superbowl has come and gone, but professional sports are in our lives, and our kids’ lives, now more than ever.  While studies of kids playing sports have shown a multitude of benefits – better overall fitness, improved self-esteem, and even enhanced time management skills – kids are also impacted by the behavior of professional sports icons, not to mention the excitement, and sometimes fanaticism (especially here in New England) of fanhood. 

The Question

As parents, does it make sense to limit the amount of sports viewing, or to temper a budding passion for a local team? Do you proactively explain the unfortunate actions of a fallen star, or offer examples of other sports stars’ expressions of philanthropy and service?  How does the realm of professional sports affect your child’s life?

What the Moms Council Says

As parents, we strive to give our kids the basics – the knowledge of right and wrong, an understanding of appropriate moral and physical behavior, a sense of responsibility to do the right thing, and accountability when they make bad choices.  Although the sports world may not be the G-rated land of perfect icons as it was once portrayed, sports can have an important role in this education.  While we may not need to limit our kids’ time watching sports on TV any more than we need to limit their overall screen time, we should, if we can, take our children to live sporting events, get them involved in sports at a young age, and teach them about good sportsmanship, which means also teaching them about what it means to be a good fan too (and not just a diehard fan).  Having a passion for almost anything is better than living life apathetically with no passion at all.  And yes, it’s important to talk about the actions of local sports icons, be they responsible or not.  Within that conversation, there is an opportunity to talk about alternate choices, whether their deeds are worth emulating and, if so, how to do so.  The Boston sports scene is something to be appreciated, and something that can really augment a child’s world view.

What is Moms Talk Q&A

Moms Talk is a new feature on Plymouth Patch that is part of a new initiative on our Patch sites to reach out to moms and families. 

Plymouth Patch invites you and your circle of friends to help build a community of support for mothers and their families right here in Plymouth.

Each week in Moms Talk, our Moms Council of smart moms take your questions, give advice and share solutions.

Moms, dads, grandparents and the diverse families who make up our community will have a new resource for questions about local neighborhood schools, the best pediatricians, 24-hour pharmacies and the thousands of other issues that arise while raising children.

Moms Talk will also be the place to drop in for a talk about the latest parenting topics. Each Thursday a question will be selected from the questions the Moms Council receives each week. Throughout the week, you'll have the chance to answer the question yourself, ask another question, comment, debate, or argue. We at Plymouth Patch encourage civil debate.

Each Wednesday, the Moms Council will anwer the question we posed the previous week, and you'll get another chance to respond to the Moms Council.

Send your questions to Moms Council Captain Nicole Joy Hales at nicole.hales@verizon.net or Editor Casey Meserve at Casey.Meserve@patch.com.