# My 8-year-old wants to play basketball this winter, but I'm not sure if I want to allow it

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-8-year-old-wants-to-play-basketball-this-winter-but-im-not-sure-if-i-want-to-allow-it/799482>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 21, 2017, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-8-year-old-wants-to-play-basketball-this-winter-but-im-not-sure-if-i-want-to-allow-it/799482 "2017-10-21T22:03:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![BomTek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bomtek/32/21364_2.png) [@BomTek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BomTek)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-8-year-old-wants-to-play-basketball-this-winter-but-im-not-sure-if-i-want-to-allow-it/799482/41 "2017-10-23T20:08:11Z")

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> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> Absolutely do not let him play. In fact, keep him far away from anything in life that he may not initially excel at.
> 
> Just kidding. I know you know how ridiculous and wrong this would be. Send him out there. Support him. Help him improve. Even if he is the worst player in the county, you can make this a valuable learning experience that will benefit him in the future

Y’know how sometimes you just need to be told something in a certain way for it to make sense? Basically everyone who’s replied here, and the unanimous consensus is to let him play, has done that in some way for me, but this one in particular is very helpful. Thank you, mmm.

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-8-year-old-wants-to-play-basketball-this-winter-but-im-not-sure-if-i-want-to-allow-it/799482/42 "2017-10-23T22:46:32Z")

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> [@dropzone](#):
>
> Hush, woman. Men are talking. Except **Monstro** , who has a strange fetish with Morris Dancing. 😉

Hey, why don’t we continue this [somewhere else](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=839748)?

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-8-year-old-wants-to-play-basketball-this-winter-but-im-not-sure-if-i-want-to-allow-it/799482/43 "2017-10-23T23:08:37Z")

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Offer a alternative, and then another, strongly suggest, then forever hold your piece. You have more say then those at a wedding and perhaps veto power, but that can be overridden. Do what you can, say what you must, but when the smoke clears accept what is and be there to pick up the pieces, as that is what a parent does.

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**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\
**Post date:** [October 24, 2017, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-8-year-old-wants-to-play-basketball-this-winter-but-im-not-sure-if-i-want-to-allow-it/799482/44 "2017-10-24T00:05:11Z")

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> [@BomTek](#):
>
> Thank you so much for your input, everyone. Thread closed, I’m going to do my best to convince my ex-wife to let him play.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could close our own threads?

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