Should I let My Child Quit a Sport or Musical Instrument?

I’m school assembly presenter Joe Romano. For the last 30 years, I’ve presented amazing and fun school assemblies in New York, Connecticut, Virginia Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Maryland, and more. My clients praise my shows as the perfect blend of education and fun. Today I’m writing this article to help frustrated parents deal with a child who wants to quit.



Why Do Children Want to Quit?

There are almost limitless reasons why a child may want to stop practicing. It could range from “it’s too hard” to having a hard time at practice. This goes for sports, musical instruments, and beyond. In some cases, it’s a case of a child losing interest in something. But in our evermore ‘instant gratification’ society, it may be the child doesn’t want to put forth the effort.

Before considering whether to let your child quit their sport or instrument, sit down with them. Have a discussion. Get to the root of the change of heart.

Are Fellow Students the Problem?

Talking about quitting with your child may be tricky. Ask them bluntly why they want to quit, and you’ll likely get a monotone grunt in response. A better tactic is asking questions that require an actual answer.

First, realize that in any group activity, dynamics are always shifting. Friendships come and go. Your child may want to quit because of a falling out with a fellow student also doing the activity. Or they may be getting picked on by one or more students doing the activity.

Ask your child if they are having a problem with another student. If you can get your child to open up, this can be very revealing.

Do They Want to Quit Because of a Lack of Progress?

Does your child find the tediousness of practice or rehearsal boring? As I mentioned earlier, we live in an instant-gratification world. Food, groceries, medicine, and any product we want can be dropped off at our doorstep in a matter of days, hours, or even minutes.

Your child may want to quit because they aren’t seeing any progress. They might think what they are doing is a waste of time. Most importantly, they may feel their lack of progress is a reflection of their abilities. They may be embarrassed they are not advancing fast enough.

Should I Let My Child Quit a Sport?

You may wonder when it’s okay for your child to throw in the towel on playing a sport. Playing sports is supposed to be fun. The easy answer is to let your child quit sports when they are no longer having fun. But the answer is a little more nuanced.

Is your child getting hurt a lot? Definitely a cause for putting that sport in the rear-view mirror. A child should also consider quitting a sport if their schoolwork is suffering. But the biggest reason to quit is simply they are not into the activity anymore.

Watching professionals play sports makes it look easy. Some kids simply don’t have the drive to push through in a sport they no longer enjoy. In these cases, it’s okay to let them bow out gracefully.

Should I Let My Child Quit a Musical Instrument?

Many parents unwittingly push their children to take up a musical instrument. I’ve heard countless stories of kids being forced to continue with music lessons even though they never wanted to start.

If playing the instrument was your child’s idea, that’s a different story. As I mentioned above, find out why they want to quit. Maybe they just grew out of it., Maybe they just don’t enjoy the tedium of practice. Or they feel like they are not making any real progress.

The big question is if your child is still enjoying the instrument, regardless of their progress or lack thereof. If your child looks at playing an instrument with loathing, definitely let them quit. Just be sure to frame the change as moving on, not quitting.

A Confidence-Boosting School Assembly

Some children want to quit an activity due to a lack of confidence. Want to give your entire school a fun confidence booster? My “The Magic in You” school assembly on character gives your students a ‘blueprint’ for becoming a confident person. With jaw-dropping visual magic, hilarious kid humor, interactive fun, and more, “The Magic in You” is both educational and highly entertaining.

Want to find out more? Contact me today.