It shows concern by a parent-which is the first and most important step. The "sad" answer IMO is that youth sports can only play a small part in alleviating the parent's concern. I played ball at an inner city H.S. in south central L.A. We lost many good athletes to gangs. Manyare either dead or still in prison. Much like school -sports cannot take the place of family. For many of these kids the true "family" happens to be the gangs. To those I played with "belonging" was far more important than sports. Sad but true.
I guess my answer would be something like: "The fact that you asked the question is the most important factor". Keeping your child involved in anything -sports, theater, music, etc-can build character which can strengthen the resistance to temptations".
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/07/2017 07:46AM by waterfield.
