Is It Wrong for Me to Allow My Daughter to Quit Sports?

Parents sometimes disagree on important issues such as sports. In this story, a dad struggles with the decision of whether to let his daughter give up gymnastics.

A Reddit user Business_Bat_4962 has a 15-year-old daughter. She is a competitive gymnast. She practiced a lot. She spends 14 hours a week at the gym. She and her teammates traveled all across the country for the tournaments.

Recently she told her father she wants to quit gymnastics because her body hurts badly. And also she wants to pay more attention to her studies and enjoy her school life, and other activities. She is a good student and she can do better in her studies without the pressure of gymnastics.

But OP’s wife thinks differently. According to her their daughter should the season because they spent a lot of money on training. They spent 1800$ on summer camps and training. She also worried if their daughter quit sports, she become lazy. She will neglect her chores and other schoolwork. The father understands both sides. He feels stuck. He wants to help his daughter, but he knows it will bother his wife.  He doesn’t understand what to do.

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1. Let’s find out

2. OP has a 15 year old daughter. She is a gymnast. She wants to quit athletics because her body hurts. She also wants to focus on her education and extracurricular interests.

3. OP’s wife disagrees with him. She thinks their daughter should complete the season. Because they spent a huge amount of money on summer camps and training. She also fears that their daughter will become lazy and neglect schoolwork and other chores.

4. OP understands both sides. He understands his wife’s concerns about money as well as his daughter’s feelings about being hurt. He feels stuck. He wants to help his daughter but knows that this will upset his wife.

Let’s figure out what the AITA community said about this story:

5. By Alternative_Dot_1026: Spending time with friends is good. It is important to build connections and teach social skills for life.

6. By Lisbei: OP should listen to his daughter. Her reasons for giving the gymnastics are valid. Surprisingly, his wife does not trust their daughter. At the start of the season quitting is better. It seems like his wife is more concerned about the team than their daughter.

7. By Wishyouamerry: OP should think about his daughter’s happiness rather than money. It is completely okay to stop a commitment if it makes her unhappy. Or give her some more time to stay with the team and then decide what to do.

8. By Efficient_Poetry_187: OP should support his daughter. He should talk to her. She needs to be in good physical and mental health. If she does not want to do it, it may harm her.

9. By VY_Canis_Majorys: OP should focus on his daughter’s health and happiness. If she is in pain and wants to focus on her studies, he should support her.

10. By Farm_girl_Bee: NTA. OP should support his daughter and pull her out before her pain and lack of interest hurt her.

 

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