Each week Michele Borba answers your parenting questions right here on her blog. If you have a parenting problem or question leave a comment on this post and you may have yours answered next week!

I have a five-year-old son. Is he old enough to play contact sports?



No! Before I get hit with an avalanche of emails from ticked off fathers, I might add that the American Academy of Pediatrics, hundreds of coaches as well as my buddy, Cal Ripken, Jr. agree as well. Here are the reasons:

Five-year-olds are just too darn young for organized sports. It isn’t until at least age six or seven when most experts agree kids have long enough attention spans to listen to directions and play by the rules as well being able to combine more than one skill (like throwing and catching; tackling and running).

The years between two to five are when kids – particularly boys – are most aggressive. Contact sports teaches kids to kick, punch and “kill” –instead of what most coaches says kids should be learning at those ages: skills, sportsmanship, and getting along as a team. Besides, your child stands the risk of being hurt.

You run the risk in any contact sport—at any age—of pushing competition and “win-win-win.”

Those early ages should focus on enjoyment, fun, and love of the game. We’re seeing over 70% of kids quitting organized sports around the age of 13 these days. Number one reason: “I don’t enjoy it. My parents wanted me to play it.”

If your child really shows an interest in an organized sport—most don’t at this age—think tee ball or soccer and, even then, make sure the coach is encouraging and believes that teaching beginning skills (like throwing, catching, and kicking) and instilling the love of the game is more important than the score.

Each kid is different and develops at his or her own pace. So maybe there is the chance you have a budding Joe Namath on your hands. But even so, the real question always should be: “Where is the push coming from?” Is this your interest or your child’s?

P.S.- If your goal is to hoping to create a future Reggie Bush or Joe Montana by giving your kid a jump-start on the field, chances are your attempt will backfire. The best study of talented kids (those cream of the crop type athletes, artists, musicians, actresses, etc) found their parents deliberately didn’t push the talent in those early years but instead placed them with nurturing teachers and coaches who helped instill in them a love of the game or interest. It was only when the child reached middle school or high school level that a teacher started to gently “push” the child with more rigorous practices. But by then the child loved the game and wanted to work hard.

Click here to read more of Michele Borba's Q&As, or leave a comment below with your own questions and it may be answered next week.

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Dr. Michele Borba is the author of Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essentail Virtues That Teach Kids to Do the Right Thing.