Category: Children

Competitive sports is an issue that is hotly debated. The majority of communities in the United States offer some form of sports program of students. Competitive sports require kids to possess a strong mindset for the challenge they will face. Research shows that competitive sports build character.Competitive sports should be banned because sports are bad for kids mental health, injuries caused from competitive sports can affect your life, and competitive sports experience too much pressure for kids.

Competitive sports impact kids mental health in a negative way, “kids will do anything for recognition which can lead them pushing too hard,” according to the article “No Pain No Gain.” For instance if a kid wants to become more popular the child may push him or herself too far which could lead to catastrophic results like a mental breakdown. In addition, the article The Mental Game: What to do when you get benched mentioned “when you are benched and forced to face adversity, you have a great opportunity to develop the skill of mental toughness. If you have the wrong mental approach, you are left with nothing but bitterness” Sure some kids may take the right path but what about the kids that really can’t. Finally, competitive sports “can make kids give up down time which leads them to sacrifice their interests.” Imagine a child fences and and swims. They are forced into swimming but they chose fencing themselves. Overtime if the kid becomes better at swimming, their parents will force them into swimming more, when their real passion is fencing. More hours of swimming means less hours of fencing and sooner or later they will be forced to quit fencing completely. This is why competitive sports impact kids mental health in a negative way.

Competitive sports should be abolished due to the amount of injuries sustained by children. These devastating injuries can impact their future. For example, Gabby, a former cheerleader, “was hurt in a stunt which lead to her losing full motion in her right arm and causing her to have to relearn to do everything with her left arm,” according to the article, “Dazzle and Danger.” In addition, research from NBC News shows that, “one in five kids have lost one or more school days due to sports-related injuries.” That doesn’t even include sick days which “average about 4.5 days per student per year,” according to the article, “School Absenteeism Due to Illness – Fact or Fiction?” My final and most important fact is that “when you receive a concussion, you face memory loss, loss of focus and experience other side effects,” according to Deadly Hits, the article, Competitive sports injuries can result in other side effects, which include migraines, nausea and vomiting. Is playing competitive sports really worth your life and health?My final reason competitive sports should be banned is they cause kids to experience too much pressure. According to the Boston Globe, “Three out of four American families with school-aged children have at least one playing an organized sport” and “by age 15, as many as 80 percent of these youngsters have quit because of an overload of pressure from family, friends and coaches.”

So basically because of the excessive amount pressure, all the previous years of work went to waste. The article Why kids quit sports claimed “The #1 reason kids quit is because sports is no longer fun. In a 2014 study for George Washington University, researcher Amanda Visik interviewed numerous youth athletes and asked them why they played sports, and 9 out of 10 said the #1 reason they played was it was fun!” It was because there was so much pressure the game wasn’t even fun anymore. Kids already push themselves and they don’t need to be pressurized more from family and coaches. “Parents who live through their child’s accomplishments can fall into that dark pit and put excessive stress on the child to continue to perform without allowing any room for second place,” according to the article Pressure to Perform.

When the expectation bar is raised to unrealistic standards, kids tend to build up more and more stress and pressure expecting themselves to always get gold. This is how youth competitive sports cause too much pressure which is just another good reason why we need to ban them.Although competitive sports may teach you some nice life skills like teamwork, it’s not really worth risking your life for it. As I said before, the impact of competitive sports for youth are bad for the mental health, can cause injuries that will affect your life and finally will cause too much pressure. This is why I am against competitive sports for youth and hope to ban them.

This essay will focus on childhood temperament and behavioural development, in relation to key aspects of nature and nurture and the role of temperament in social adjustment and maladjustment. Temperament is a set of behavioral tendencies. A child’s individual style of temperament is derived from the various ways each infant behaves and responds, to both things and people.

According to Gillibrand, R., Lam, V., & O’Donnell, V.L. 2016 In their studies, they identified significant features of temperament which involve, stability, continuity, context-dependence and early emergence.

According to Gillibrand (2016), Stability of temperament is behavioural tendencies that persist over-time. An example to illustrate this notion is if a two year old is more active compared to his same-aged peers, he should also be more active than his peers years down the line as well. This showcases stability, a similar level relative to other same age peers over time. Continuity concerns the persistence of temperament over time. The context-dependence is related to sets of behaviours depending on each setting. The biological basis of temperament is highlighted through the concept of early emergence in infancy, which indicates that if something is innate then it is expected to be exhibited at an early age to persist over-time. Gillibrand (2016)

One of the many perspectives of different researchers regarding temperament is Mary Rothbart, who identified five dimensions of temperament. Fear, distress/anger/frustration, attention span, activity level, and smiling/laughter (Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003; Rothbart et al., 2001). Siegler et al. (2017) refers to temperament as individual differences in emotion, activity level, and attention that are exhibited across contexts and that are present from infancy and thus thought to be genetically based (Bornstein et al., 2015).

The significant aspects of nature and nurture which may explain individual differences in children’s temperamental characteristics is highlighted by Siegler et al. (2017), developmentalists now recognise that every characteristic we possess is due to the coexistence of nature and nurture. Nature refers to our biological endowment, . Whereas, nurture is the wide range of environments both physical and social which influence our development and serve as determinants of temperament.

The studies have shown that nature and nurture have a role in determining temperament among children. Genes influence the variation of temperament, in a study by Rasbash et al., (2011); Saudino & Wang, (2012), identical twins were shown to be more similar to each other in the aspects of their emotions and regulation than are fraternal twins. As for the nurture aspect, teratogens are external agents that can damage growth during prenatal development. Teratogens such as nutritional deficiencies, maternal stress and anxiety among others have been found to have a role in temperament as its exposure can predict infants and children’s ability to regulate their attention and behaviour. Siegler et al. (2017) (Huizink, 2008, 2012; T. Dennis et al., 2006). Other significant elements of nurture which result in individual differences in children’s temperamental characteristics is shown in the studies of E. E. Lewis et al., (2007) “children who grow up in home environments that are harsh or unstable tend to have problems with self regulation and the expression of emotion.” (p.442) The individual differences in children’s temperamental characteristics derive from nature and nurture in the sense that genetic differences and different environments lead to differences in children’s temperamental characteristics.

Lemery-Chalfant et al., (2013) conducted a study focusing on parents of 807 pairs of twins. The objective was to find out whether it was nature or nurture that had more of a role in temperament. Of the 807 pairs of twins, 301 being identical and 263 being fraternal, the parents reported on both of their children’s temperaments. Results from the study were used to discover how similar the twins were. If the identical twins who shared the same home environment were more similar than the fraternal twins who were in the same home environment then the research would conclude that temperament is more determined by genes as opposed to environment.

The active child theme highlighted by Siegler et al. (2017) refers to the theme as children who contribute to their own development through their own actions. This theme suggests that children’s temperamental characteristics can affect their environments and particularly their parent’s behaviour. (Belsky, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & van IJzendoorn,, 2007; N. Eisenberg et al., 1999; K. J. Kim et al., 2001; E. H. Lee et al., 2013). An example of this in the Siegler et al. (2017) text is that parents of children who are angry and unregulated may become less patient and more punitive with their children. This leads to intensified discipline which may cause an increase in negative emotions in the children. On the contrary, children who are regulated may attain more warmth from parents which in turn predicts continued regulation and sociability in children. Together these studies outline that it is the joint workings of nature and nurture in which influence the individual differences in children’s temperament.

The role of temperament in social adjustment is prevalent since childhood. Siegler et al (2017). Children who fall on the dimension of temperament such as anger, positive emotion, and the ability to inhibit behaviour is closely linked with their social competence and maladjustment. (Coplan & Bullock, 2012; Eiden et al., 2009; N. Eisenberg et al., 2010; Kagan, 2012; Kochanska et al., 2008) This can be seen in the case of children who are too inhibited, as they are more likely than other children to have anxiety, depression and social withdrawal in their later life. (Biederman et al., 1990; Fox & Pine, 2012; Hirshfeld-Becker et al., 2007; Moffitt et al., 2007). Overall, this indicates that different problems related to adjustment can arise as a result of different temperamental tendencies.

Temperaments role in social adjustment and maladjustment is evident through studies such as the Dunedin longitudinal study. The study shows that behavioral manifestations of temperament varies based on certain factors. Longitudinal studies showcase how the stability of temperamental measures taken in infancy is related to personality types, physiological adjustment and social adjustment in later life Gillibrand (2016). The Dunedin study involves a cohort of babies who were recruited with parental consent from birth, between 1 April 1972 and 31 March 1973. The project looked at participant’s health, development and behaviour. The most recent follow up was done when the participants were in their late 30s. The study identified dimensions of temperament from the participants who underwent cognitive and motor tasks. Examiners used rating scales based on lack of control (inability to regulate impulsive expression, lack of persistence in problem solving and sensitivity to stress), inhibition – tendency, willingness or eagerness to explore new stimuli and sluggishness (withdrawn, unresponsive social behaviour; Caspi and Silva 1995).

From the results gathered from the tests conducted, one of the outcomes from this study were that children who were classified as under-controlled were reported to be anti-social, with more conflict with peers at work in later life. Whereas, 3 year olds who were in the inhibited and reserved were more likely to grow up and consider themselves introverted, with the inhibited individuals having less social support and more significantly a tendency towards a psychopathology. These attributes stand in contrast to children who were ‘confident’ or ‘well adjusted’ as they were likely to grow up to be extraverted individuals. (Gillibrand, 2016) The Dunedin study showcases the interconnection between certain behavioral tendencies and long term effects on social adjustment and maladjustment.

Despite the findings of the Dunedin longitudinal study, according to Gillbrand (2016) it is important to note that although the study found temperamental differences as identified by independent raters in childhood are linked not just to differences in self-rated personality, but also to peer-rated interpersonal functioning. A key notion that should be considered is that statistical links between early temperament traits and later outcomes does not mean that individual infants all stay the same as they become adults. (Gillibrand, 2016)

Goodness of fit is how well a child’s temperament matches the demand of a particular context. Family, according to Siegler et al. (2017), is considered to provide the most significant context related to goodness of fit. Studies indicate that children who are subjected to hostile/negative parenting tend to exhibit low emotion regulation and are less sympathetic towards others, this is in contrary to children who experience positive parenting.

Siegler et al. (2017) asserts that it’s important to note that in differential susceptibility, children’s temperaments make them highly reactive to both positive and negative family environments. Differential susceptibility which is known as the same temperament characteristic which results in negative outcomes for some children when exposed to harsh home environments, also causes them to blossom when the home environments are positive. Therefore this study suggests that the role of differential susceptibility is children who are subjected to different types of parenting are highly reactive towards their family environments and it can potentially lead to either flourishment of the child or negatively impact the child. However, it is important to consider that all children benefit from positive parenting whether or not their genetic and temperamental characteristics make them likely to be reactive to their environments. (Belsky et al., 2015).

This reflective essay will look at a theory from Bronfenbrenners ecological system. It has four basic structures. Microsystem has four groups that can have an impact in a child’s growth. Therefore, family group within microsystem is one which is important to understand its influence on child development. Firstly, I will discuss the importance of family relationship. Secondly, it will look at parents support to a child. Then, I will discuss some positive and negative influences of social theories on the way family function in my society. Finally, the wellbeing of a child is important for the future in our nation.

Family is a group of people living together in a home or community. Family can be blood related as parent and children or group of people dwelling together. In the Pacific islands, living together can be as a nuclear family or with extended family. According to Berns ecological development model, “the family is the most influential group in the early years and the relationships within the family impact on children (Berns, 1997, p.27).” A child growth depended a lot on his family relation, because a child begin his first learning within a family. Therefore the influence of a family in a child’s life is very important.

First of all, relationship in a home contributed a lot on a child development. If the parents are cooperating well inside a family, it can build up the child positive impact emotionally and cognitively. The child will feel loved, cared and important in the midst of his family. Then comes along the positive virtues like honesty, trust, helpful, and many more. Continuous family gathering too is an effective way of relationship between parent and child. For example, by observing pupils in my class, a student can cooperate well with others and the teacher when he has a good connection and relationship inside his family. It can be seen in his behavior, attitude and his grades. Face to face interaction with a child is effective because it is an interpersonal connection between parent and child. The principal subjects to discuss with a child during family gatherings are respect, good manners, how to treat others, sharing with others and self-discipline. Thus, family relationship is important in a child’s life because it helps a child to socialize well with others and it is also a unique bond that can last for a life time.

Secondly, when a child is born inside a family, he depends a lot on his parent’s support towards his learning and in providing his basic needs. It is the family responsibility to help the child achieved his goals in life. The child started to learn basic skills with his family at home before going to pre-school like sit-down, sit up, going to the toilet, holding a spoon, run, climb, talk, brushing teeth, caring for others and many more. Therefore, it is very important for parents to be responsible of the wellbeing of their children in supporting them in a way that their emotional, social and educational needs is not affected. For instance, I have a down-syndrome child in class that is always happy despite her disability because her parents treated her as the family first priority to care for. This positive action from the parents motivate her to trust and socialize with others and to become somebody in the future.

Furthermore, family influences can be positive or negative because during his development stages, a child imitated actions, observed and part take in every day activity. For example, if he or she was brought up in a family that is strictly rooted in a particular religious beliefs thus you can see manifest from the child’s character and way of living. I believe it because this involved my childhood experiences. On the other hand, breaking ups of parent’s marriage affected most of our young people than drugs and alcohol. For example, I have a nephew who is actually a special need student just because he had experienced so much abuse and fighting between his father and mother. After the parents separated, the child grew up with behavioral disorder. For this reason too, many children in my community went as far as committed suicide because they don’t feel valued. Thus, it is important to consider the environment where a child is brought up.

In addition, according to experts, they have different explanations in how a family impact a child development. Referring back through my readings, the social theories interactionism, functionalism and conflict help us understand the different stages and changes in a child’s life. According to Berns (1997, p.25), “the family is a setting that provides nurturance, affection, and a variety of opportunities. It is a primary socializer of the child in that it has the most significant impact on the child’s development.” James Garbarino (1992) stated that, “the child who is nurtured or loved, such as one who grows up in an abusive or dysfunctional family, may have developmental problems. Also children who do not have sufficient opportunities to manipulate objects, to model desirable behavior, to initiate activity and to be exposed to a language rich environment will be at a disadvantage when they reach school.”

To conclude, it can be noted that family is the child’s first teacher and it has an important role in raising a child. Nowadays, education has changed to a higher level and our society had changed a lot due to new technologies as mobile phones, internet and many more adopted uncivilized attitudes that can affect a child. Parents must teach their children the appropriate skills and values before they enter in formal institutions, however, many young parents may not think seriously about a child development due to lack of knowledge in our society. One way to help our children grow in a healthy environment, the government can go about educating parents in communities through awareness programs. The wellbeing of our children is important because they will become good citizens and also future leaders to a healthy nation.

As a parent would you put your kid into a sports program to develop their characteristics? As a young kid, my mother and father put me into many sports such as basketball, baseball and soccer. When I was at practices and games I always loved being there and having fun. Children who play sports are less likely to end up doing drugs and their behavior will be better balanced than kids who don’t attend sports. Also playing sports as a kid helps boost our mental and physical appearance and create friendships you can’t have unless you play sports. Finally kids are developing morals and principals everyday through going to practices and attending games.

Starting off when you put your child into a sports program of any kind, the most important thing they develop is their morals and principals. As a child morals and principals are characteristics that you need to develop correctly and quickly to be a respectful child. Joining a sport is the perfect way to do that, according to NDFadmin which states “children who are actively engaged in sports can be good role models for their peers from school, neighborhood, or even school choir”. While playing sports kids don’t regard the social class, race, nationality or culture of the players around them they are just there to have fun which can bring anyone and everyone together. Also according to a blog The Importance of Sports in Children says that “They learn to respect authority, rules, team colleagues and opponents.” Children when put through sports learn many life lessons that you will need further into your adulthood such as “youth sports teaches teamwork, social skills, healthy habits, self discipline, sportsmanship and listening” according to the article written by Ryan Tremblay.

Also playing sports as a young child even through highschool can boost your physical and mental standpoint. Playing some sports will be entertaining and help support the physical and mental state. Participating in most sports will help reduce stress, encourage physical and mental state, and promotes interpersonal skills. involving yourself in the sport strengthens your spirit and all different muscles while having lots of fun. Firstly, let’s discuss how the personal reduce stress by playing the sport. Every time people people in this world will struggle with stress and are in search of ways to treat it and joining sports as a young child is the perfect way! Kids who play sports build self-esteem very well. They often end up performing well in school and maintaining high grades. Also kids who play sports will end up in shape and will stay out of the obesity category. Recent studies show that kids who participated in team related sports as a child will end up with better mental health as an adult. According to the Cleveland Clinic who says “a recent study shows that engaging in team sports can actually help kids ward off depression too.” If you play on a team in highschool or even ages below you will have less mental stress on your body which in turn results in better physical health. Also when you have better physical health and you are in shape you are able to feel relaxed and not uptight and stressed about your body condition. Joining sports at an age even as late as 12 can improve your health later down the road and “protects you from poor mental health” according to Newport Academy.

One of the most talked about topics when it comes to sports of young children is behavior. Children who play sports frequently surpass their peers in the classroom. Attendance is much better and classes are greater. Children who play young sports and have stronger connections with their education, better individual relationships, and fewer behavioral issues inside and outside the classroom. The discipline and education required to participate in sports helps to create productive adult. Athletes see what it takes to be a leader and to succeed with pride which motivates them to do better than the regular student in the classroom. Sports also encourage young children to improve self control, persevere, and be responsible. Studies show that kids who participate in sports are less likely to become drug users, and alcohol addicts. According to Ryan Tremblay “female high school athletes are 92 percent less likely to take drugs and 80 percent less likely to become pregnant if they play sports. Additionally, they are three times more likely to graduate from high school than non-athletes.” Those who don’t play sports are also more likely to end up in prison or breaking the law. Also another big reason many kids attend sports at a young age is, it helps them develop their body structure in the healthiest way possible. According to the Better Health Channel “healthy growth of bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons.” However, while playing sports if you happened to get injured it can stunt your growth within the area injured. So when you send your child to a fun sport to develop and learn, you also need to send them with the correct gear so they are protected from injury. But if you are wearing the correct gear during your sporting event you are all set to learn and develop as a young child and figure out the ropes of life.

The idea that sports are good for a person’s health has been commonly held for centuries; however, many think that the benefits of this specific kind of activity are purely physical. Research in the last several years points to a different conclusion. Beyond physical benefits, there are also mental, psychological, social, and emotional benefits. In addition, many important life skills are taught through sports. It is crucial for developing children to play sports—specifically, team sports—so that they might benefit from these positive impacts.

Team sports provide children with many physical benefits. One of them is the prevention of life-threatening diseases. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, “You should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise each week, which helps avoid such chronic diseases as diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease” (qtd. in “Six”). This recommendation totals just 20 minutes a day of moderate exercise or just over 10 minutes a day of vigorous exercise. A small amount of exercise can pay off in a big way. For children, the fulfillment of these weekly standards is especially important because they teach healthy habits that will prevail throughout their life. Helga Van Herle, MD, a cardiologist and associate professor of clinical medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, emphasizes the benefit of team sports by stating it is “a fun way to get in your exercise for cardiovascular health because you get to do it in a group as opposed to doing it alone” (qtd. in “Six”). The aspect of togetherness found in team sports often motivates people to exercise because being together is more enjoyable, and a person can be held accountable when there is a workout partner. Research also shows that exercise enhances the power of an athlete’s brain due to its positive impact on the brain at the cellular level (Olszewski). If the brain is made more efficient through exercise and sports, people should be exercising more. There are positive long term physical effects that are a result of sports in adolescence. Linda Olszewski says, “An unfit adolescent is more likely to have a greater amount of body fat, higher chances of cardiovascular and other metabolic diseases, and less healthy bones than those who exercise regularly” (Olszewski). The long term impact of sports on the body circles back to the need for establishing healthy habits at a young age. In fact, optimal health is often measured through bone density and muscle mass (“Six”); exercise is known to have positive impacts on both of these criteria (“Six”). While the physical benefits are plentiful, there are perhaps other resulting factors that are more beneficial, such as the mental impacts of team sports.

Studies have shown that there are several mental and psychological health benefits gained from playing team sports as a child. A study conducted by the University of British Columbia examined over 10,000 students in grade four and then again in grade seven and found the positive impact of afterschool activities on children’s mental well being and encouraged the students to continue to participate in the activities (Azpiri). Any activity outside of school has shown to improve mental health, but this particular study found something even more powerful. The article states that “according to lead author Eva Oberle of UBC’s School of Population and Public Health, researchers found that kids who participated in team sports experienced greater mental health benefits than those who participated in individual activities, like music lessons or solo sports, or did not take part in extracurricular activities at all” (Azpiri). Team sports also have effects on self-esteem and depression levels. Team sport participants show greater levels of self-esteem and claim to experience fewer symptoms of depression likely as a result of the healthy social environment created by team sports (“Six”). The higher levels of self-esteem and less depressive episodes are especially evident when athletes are compared to non-athletes. Olszewski says, “specifically, athletes experienced lower levels of depression and anxiety than their non-athlete counterparts” (Olszewski). This could be because sports are often considered stress relievers. Not only can team sports improve self-esteem, but they can also be used as a coping mechanism. A study by JAMA Pediatrics found that children who experienced events that traumatized them had better mental health as adults if they played team sports (Klass). Participation in team sports as a child leads to a healthier mind as an adult. Team sports are even beginning to be recommended as a treatment for traumatic experiences. In an article published on the New York Times website, Dr. Easterlin, a pediatrician and health services research fellow, says, “when patients screen positive [for traumatic experiences], pediatricians could consider recommending team sports” (qtd. in Klass). The article also reports that the effects of team sports were greater than for kids who were physically active on their own (Klass). Easterlin also claims that “something about the team environment provides psychosocial support” (qtd. in Klass). Mental health awareness is a popular topic of discussion in today’s society. Given that sports have a positive impact on mental health, the need for team sports during adolescence should be stressed.

There are also social and emotional benefits that children gain from participation in team sports. Children that participate in team sports tend to have more developed social skills and are more emotionally intelligent. Team sports have produced greater social benefits when compared to individual sports (Olszewski). Researchers believe this is because of the social interaction on a team, and some even speculate that team sports are crucial in adolescents’ social development (Olszewski). Being on a team, feeling many emotions, and interacting with other children who are the same age and have different personalities has created this effect. Linda Olszewski says, “Interestingly researchers have found that children who participate in team sports are more socially advanced than their non-sports participating peers” (Olszewski). Good social skills are an asset throughout life. If playing sports develops that asset, children must take advantage of the opportunity. Additionally, a sense of belonging is felt when on a team (“Six”). This feeling of belonging promotes an athlete’s self-identity and increases a person’s level of happiness (“Six”). A universal struggle is the need to fit in and feel wanted, and team sports create an outlet where children can find friends with similar interests outside of school. The common interest of sports leads teammates to form friendships (Rodriguez). Teammates are compelled to become friends or at least acquaintances because of frequent interaction during practices and games. Not only will developing children benefit from the social interaction of team sports, but they will also be enhancing their emotional side. An article published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation references author Jill Pruden’s book, Coaching Girls Basketball Successfully, where she says her “players are expected to express their concerns, hopes, and disappointments to their coaches and their teammates” (qtd. in Maslen). Pruden also “encourages her players to seek feedback from coaches as well as their classroom teachers…fostering communication skills that will help them succeed in their academic endeavors” (qtd. in Maslen). In sports, children learn how to deal with winning and losing, and thus success and failure. These experiences increase their ability to deal with their emotions properly and in a healthy manner later in life. Dr. Diamond, a professor and program director for injury prevention for children at Vanderbilt University, says, “These benefits we talk about—learning how to fail and get back up, teamwork, being part of something larger—only happen when the emotional foundation is strong” (qtd. in Klass). The emotional foundation of young children is developed when playing team sports. Specifically, fundamental emotions, concepts, hopefulness, and confidence are affected by playing sports. Andy Driska, a Michigan State University researcher, conducted a study where he and his colleagues observed the emotions and attitudes expressed by 89 teens during a two-week-long wrestling camp (qtd. in Neighmond). Players’ confidence and hopeful feelings increased over the two weeks (qtd. in Neighmond). The increase of positive feelings exhibits the beneficial impact sports have on the emotional psyche. As a whole, the social and emotional well-being of children will be made better by playing sports.

A major positive of playing team sports is the life lessons and life skills acquired through the experience. One example is learning the lesson of accountability; when mistakes are made on the playing field, athletes learn to take responsibility for their actions (Rodriguez). This also applies in life because if mistakes are made, they must be acknowledged to succeed in the future (Rodriguez). Janssen Sports Leadership Center says, “working with teammates teaches athletes important life skills such as to respect one another, act in unselfish ways, make good decisions on behalf of the team, and not cut corners” (qtd. in Maslen). Most people learn these lessons at some point in life, but learning these lessons earlier can increase the success of these children because they have learned the crucial lessons earlier than their peers who do not play sports. Time management is another life skill that is honed by student-athletes. Paige Maslen, the author of an article published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, says, “the time commitment required by athletes can be comparable to that of a full-time job” (Maslen). Time management is a huge asset in both school and an athlete’s future career. Forbes magazine published an article about the benefits of team sports on a person’s health and cited that a “study in the journal Nature found a clear distinction between athletic performance and the ability to track multiple objects at the same time” (qtd. in “Six”). The article also says that “the same skills you need to play a team sport are the same kind needed to drive a car or monitor complex dynamic activities” (“Six”). Skills learned while playing sports can have more than one benefit. This is a prime example of that principle. An article published by the Army and Navy Academy examines patience, persistence, and practice, asserting that these crucial lessons learned while playing team sports also apply in life outside of sports (Rodriguez). Having life skills such as these make a person more desirable to potential employers. The George Lucas Educational Foundation also says that “team sports are said to bolster the five C’s: competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring” (Maslen). These aspects can aid a person in experiences in life that have nothing to do with sports. Children can benefit in many areas of life due to the life skills and important lessons taught in team sports settings.

Another factor to consider is the impact of team sports in school, and also in an athlete’s career later in life. The George Lucas Educational Foundation reported that exercise creates a temporary state of relaxation that produces several effects that aid an athlete in school; these benefits include better concentration and memory, increased creativity, enhanced mood, and an increase in productivity in problem-solving (Maslen). Studies such as these have shown improvement in a student’s schoolwork because of involvement in team sports. Maslen writes “ a University of Kansas study looking at the performance of students grades 9 to 12 showed that more than 97% of student athletes graduated high school, 10% higher than those students who had never participated in sports” (qtd. in Maslen). When looking at student-athletes later in life, it appears as if they turned out more successful, career-wise, than their non-athlete counterparts. The Army and Navy Academy writes in an article about the benefits of team sports that “research into careers and the people who achieve greater success in their chosen occupation have found that 95% of individuals at the level of executive vice president in 75 Fortune 500 companies played sports during their school years” (Rodriguez). The Army and Navy Academy adds that “the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth found that 32 year-old-men who played sports in school were paid wages 31% higher than those who hadn’t played sports” (qtd. in Rodriguez). It is evident that team sports have a lasting effect on the success of athletes both in school and in the workforce. They are taught to work hard when playing sports and that drive translates into schoolwork and work on the job.

Some argue that team sports and sports, in general, are a bad idea. The Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine claims that many bad things stem from young children playing sports, including injury and mental stress (“What”); however, if the sport is taught correctly and players follow proper rules and guidelines, these issues can be avoided. The article also states that “young athletes may suffer from burnout, social isolation, attrition, and psychosocial problems” (“What”). While these may be real issues faced by some young athletes, there are preventative measures that can be taken. It is equally as important for parents to be aware of the issues their child may face playing team sports. Parents must monitor their child’s performance in the sport and address the problems should they arise. While a few issues may occur, the numerous benefits outweigh the small possible risks.

Team sports offer developing children numerous benefits. These benefits affect the growth—physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally—of children during the crucial developmental stages of adolescence. Though there may be some risks associated with children partaking in sports, the positive impacts outnumber the negative impacts.

Works Cited

1. Azpiri, Jon. “Study of B.C. Students Finds Link between Playing Team Sports, Better Mental Health.” Global News, Global News, 27 Aug. 2019, globalnews.ca/news/5816806/study-bc-students-team-sports-mental-health/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.
2. Klass, Perri. “Team Sports May Help Children Deal With Trauma.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 9 July 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/07/08/well/family/team-sports-may-help-children-deal-with-trauma.html?searchResultPosition=1. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.
3. Maslen, Paige. “The Social and Academic Benefits of Team Sports.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 29 Dec. 2015, www.edutopia.org/discussion/social-and-academic-benefits-team-sports. Accessed 8 Oct. 2019.
4. Neighmond, Patti. “Benefits Of Sports To A Child’s Mind And Heart All Part Of The Game.” NPR, NPR, 1 July 2015, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/07/01/418899249/benefits-of-sports-to-a-childs-mind-and-heart-all-part-of-the-game. Accessed 16 Sept. 2019.
5. Olszewski, Linda Escobar. “Four Reasons Why Team Sports Are a Win-Win for Teens.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 25 July 2017, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/drifting-adulthood/201707/four-reasons-why-team-sports-are-win-win-teens. Accessed 16 Sept. 2019.
6. Rodriguez, Rachel. “Beyond Physical Fitness: Benefits Of Playing Team Sports.” Army and Navy Academy, Army and Navy Academy, 21 May 2019, armyandnavyacademy.org/blog/beyond-physical-fitness-the-benefits-of-playing-team-sports/. Accessed 16 Sept. 2019.
7. “Six Reasons Why Team Sports Are Good For Your Health.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 21 Mar. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2018/03/21/six-reasons-why-team-sports-are-good-for-your-health/#7dfaacde6e25. Accessed 16 Sept. 2019.
8. “What Are the Negative Effects of Sports on Children?” Reference, IAC Publishing, www.reference.com/family/negative-effects-sports-children-8bfd2b89c51e86e7. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.

Have you ever wondered how video games affect children? Why do some kids like to play these games? Video games are getting very popular and addictive. These games have positive and negative effects, both physically and mentally. Many experts believe that violence in video games increases violence in real life. While some experts believe contrary to it. They do not believe that playing of violent video games can cause increase in aggressive behavior. Some studies have proved that time spent playing video games can be educational because some games include problem solving tasks and require some logical thinking, and thus help children to improve skills like critical thinking, multitasking, and decision-making. These games can also be addictive sometimes, so we can say their negative effects are severe. There are many negative effects of video games on children like health issues, sleeping and eating pattern. It can also affect social life of children by isolating them from social interaction, which further causes many problems for them socially. So, though at some points video games are proven to be a source of education and entertainment, but the violent and antisocial behavior of children prove them bad for children, doing more harm than good.

Computer games can cause some physical symptoms. One of the negative effects of computer games on children is addiction. The social life of children is also affected by violent games, because children who play violent games like to isolate themselves from the society, friends and family. Addiction of video games lead to many problems. These include health issues like sleep disturbances, poor personal hygiene, eating irregularities, migraines, and obesity. Continuing long time sitting in front of gaming devices may lead to back aches, laziness, obesity, eye-sight problems, and weight gain. Due to the pulsing lights, flashes and loud sound, the excessive use of games can cause photosensitive seizures. These games also lead to damage the eating and sleeping patterns of kids, which may result to serious consequences sometimes. In South Korea, a gamer died due to playing some online game for fifty hours with only few breaks. According to police that gamer only took pauses to go to bathroom (Kim, 2019).

According to Gentile and Anderson (2003), playing of video games can lead to increase in aggressive behavior, because video games are filled with violent actions. Though some other types of games are also popular among different age group, but throughout all age-groups, the popularity of violent video games remains at peak. Donald Trump, the ex-president of America, once stated that, “the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts”. American Academy of Pediatrics (July, 2016) stated about video games that the games, “should not use human or other living targets or award points for killing because this teaches children to associate pleasure and success with their ability to cause pain and suffering to others”.

Some video games can be the reason of unexpected deaths. Gamers are so much involved and occupied with their game environment which may lead to self-destruction, and sometimes it also can cause harm to other people. Pokémon Go is the good example of this. This game has caused many accidents, injuries and even deaths, because this game involve the player only in game environment. Games like Gears of War, PUBG, Mortal Kombat, Thrill Kill and Grand Theft Auto are some of the examples of violent games which include stabbing, shooting, buying weapons, and breaking traffic rules. These games are somehow responsible for increase in criminal activities by teenagers and some of the adults as well. According to some reports, the 18 years old gunman who has killed 9 people in Germany, in 2016, was big fan of a first-person shooter games (Scutti, 2018).

Considering all the things, the negative effects of video games outweigh their positive effects. The addiction to games and violent behavior of gamers is not only problematic for gamers but also for their surroundings. Though some video games lead to entertainment, learning, and improving of skills, but the violence and anti-social behavior caused by games are more severe than these benefits. This negative effect can be reduced by monitoring children, supervising them, and providing them with those games which boost up their skills and also increase their knowledge.

References

Ferguson, C. J. (2018, Feburary 16). ‘It’s Time to End the Debate About Video Games and Violence’. https://theconversation.com/its-time-to-end-the-debate-about-video-games-and-violence-91607

Being a Muslim, we will never get away from responsibilities in everything that we do in our life as we are the Caliphates in this world in which Muslims are responsible for their own actions. In this article, parents as well as society have to be responsible for their own children in every aspect possible. It is no doubt that Islam has always prioritised the importance of the rights of children. Even before the birth of children, Islam has mentioned that two people who are about to enter marriage life should not take marriage carelessly as it comes with great responsibilities like taking rights of children with responsibility. Children are also known to be the Amanah of the parents. Thus, in order to please Allah SWT, parents and society must play their roles to fulfil the rights of their children. One of the rights of children is where Islam has stated that abortion of child is prohibited if the reason to commit such action is due to being unable to support the children financially as mentioned in the ayat below: “…kill not your children because of poverty – We provide sustenance for you and for them”. (Quran 6:151)

This gives the idea that Allah SWT grants children as blessings for the parents not as burdens as what some people perceive nowadays. This is due to the reason that some people are not blessed with children and hence parents should be thankful to Allah for his blessings. More importantly, Al-Quran also provides right guidelines of raising a child in Islam in which people must commit to the commandment of Allah. The children are expected to be treated fairly, to be nurtured, to be loved and to be educated by not only parents but also the society. For instance, in order to raise a healthy child, parents must provide food for the children. In this case, it is advisable to breastfeed the small children in order to make them grow healthy as mentioned in the ayat: “The mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years, (that is) for those (parents) who desire to complete the term of suckling” (Quran 2:233)

However, if the parents face hindrance in giving breast milk to their small children, then they can opt for wet nurse or use infant baby formula to fulfil the needs of nurturing. Allah would never put His servants into difficult situations. Verily, Islam is indeed a religion of leniency. Other than that, children must also be exposed to religious teachings at a young age so that they will get to know Allah and love Him. This responsibility of giving religious education also lies in the hands of parents. It is obligatory for parents to teach children to pray by the age of 7 years old in order to indicate the significance of praying. The Hadith that supports this statement which is narrated by Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-‘As: “The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Command your children to pray when they become seven years old, and beat them for it (prayer) when they become ten years old; and arrange their beds (to sleep) separately.”

According to Ibrahim Amini in his book “Principle of Upbringing Children”, he said that children who have reached the age of responsibility (baligh), the juridical norms are obligatory for them. It is also believed that the religious duties should be put into practice in their early childhood so it would become a habit for them to fulfil. Therefore, parents should play their roles in giving them religious teachings at a young age so that their children will make the duties as their habits.

There is an ayat where Luqmaan gives advice to his son about worshipping to Allah; And (remember) when Luqmaan said to his son when he was advising him: “O my son! Join not in worship others with God. Verily, joining others in worship with God is a great wrong indeed. (Quran 31:13)

The ayat mentions that Luqmaan tells his son to never associate Allah with others as the act is deemed to be unjust towards Allah. Despite teaching children about religious duties, parents also have to give formal education to the children and not solely on religious teaching only. For example, parents are responsible for sending their children to school for proper education to let children experience many opportunities ahead. To conclude, teaching kids about knowing Allah at a young age is essential in order to shape not only a dutiful child to parents and society but also to Allah SWT. It is undoubtedly true that Islam put high values on children. Islam is perfect but the Muslims are not. Some Muslims take responsibilities lightly and some are committed to it. It is only a matter with Muslims. Hence, we should always strive to become better Muslims.

As inhabitants of the twenty-first century, there has been significant advancements in the field of genetics. One such technological advancement that is still developing may make it possible to “select” our children’s genes and characteristics (Agar, 2006). In effect, “designer babies” will likely be a possibility in the near future. A “designer baby” defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is “a baby whose genetic makeup has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular genes or characteristics” (Testa, 2018). Although genetically modifying a child’s genes or characteristics may have a superficial reasoning, there are potentially positive benefits of such modification. Regardless of the benefits, the prospect of choosing a child’s genes raises moral and ethical controversy among the public that need to be examined.

The creation of designer babies is often questioned due to its moral and ethical implications. Many argue in favor of such technology to reduce/prevent the inheritance of genetic disorders and diseases such as Down syndrome, Huntington’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, and others through prenatal diagnosis. In-vitro fertilization is a technique that has become more common to help couples conceive children. The process involves pre-selecting embryos before implantation into the mother’s womb. For example, preimplantation genetic diagnosis allows viable embryos to be screened for various genetic diseases before implantation. This allows the medical practitioner to select the embryos that are not predisposed to the genetic disease, therefore, reduces the risk for the child to have or develop the disease (Ly, 2011). Another modern technique includes the CRISPR/Cas9 which allows geneticists to edit genes, in other words, to replace a segment of the genome that holds for a defect. CRISPR acts as molecular scissors that precisely manipulate DNA and modify the function of the gene (Saey, 2017). This will allow to correct the genetic defect, therefore, eradicate the disease. Genetically eliminating diseases will improve the human gene pool and quality of life for current and future generations. One of the controversies that arise from genetically modifying babies is using this technology superficially to select benign characteristics that are not generally related to the health of the child such as gender, hair color, eye color, strength, athletic ability, intelligence, etc. (Ly, 2011). Although these enhancements will improve the lives of individuals socially and productively, there is always the possibility of defects and side effects. Genetically enhancing benign characteristics will also create social pressures such as competition and genetic divisions (Catalano, 2012).

Traits such as gender, hair color, eye color, height, intelligence, and athletic ability are considered benign, not harmful. Enhancement of benign characteristics is immoral and unethical according to the Council of Ethical and Judicial Affairs for the reason that they are medically unnecessary and do not prevent or cure specific diseases (Ly, 2011). Many of the desirable traits such as height, eye color, or even intelligence are influenced by multiple genes. It would be difficult to find specific genes whose modification would result in the desired trait. Many genes also have more than one effect. For example, there was a study conducted by researchers in mice in which they introduced an extra gene, NR2B, that was known to play a role in brain development. The resulting mice had improvement in learning and memory but also acquired hyper-sensitivity to pain (Agar, 2006). This same technique can be used in humans but there is a possibility that inserting a specific gene may target the genome in such a way that could disrupt the function of another gene that would be fundamental for the survival of the embryo (Testa, 2018). Aside from taking safety concerns into consideration, enhancement of benign characteristics will also promote social implications. For instance, the individuals that could afford the genetic enhancement would be “at the top” of the social class and be genetically superior and at a greater advantage because they will have children that are more athletic or intelligent. Those who could not afford the enhancement will remain “at the bottom” of the social class and be genetically inferior at a disadvantage (Catalano, 2012). Subsequently, this will create competition, social injustice, and a genetic division based on social class.

Technological advancements has played a significant role in the field of genetics. The possibility to “select” our children’s genes and characteristics and create a “designer baby” is currently in effect and near the future (Agar, 2006). Despite the moral and ethical controversy that arises about genetically enhancing a child, parents should have the right to select to reduce/prevent the inheritance of genetic diseases and inherited medical conditions. Eradicating these diseases and medical conditions will improve the human gene pool and quality of life for future generations. A strict regulation should be set in place to only use this technological advancement in measures for the health of the child and not for selecting traits for enhancement. Selecting benign characteristics for genetic enhancement is unethical and immoral and will create a society that is futuristic, for this reason a strict regulation will be a necessity as it will alleviate the social pressures that arise.

This article is about the impact of TV violence on children and adolescents by Barbara Frazier. The first section of this article informs about how TV violence can influence and change children’s values, behaviors, attitudes, and ways of thinking. Barbara Frazier wrote about how the regular offering of TV in today’s media is characterized by a lot of violence. Many of the most popular TV shows show scenes with murders, fights, around the world wars, kidnappings, traffic accidents, wrestling, and emotional and psychological abuse. Frazier wrote about how some shows promote violence as an accepted way of solving conflicts.

The second section of the article ‘The Impact of TV Violence on Children and Adolescents’ talks about some statistics that apply. It is stated that the average American child watches TV for 21 to 23 hours per week, which then varies depending on the age group. Frazier states that by the age of 18, children will have viewed a total of 16,000 simulated murders and 200,000 acts of violence. Frazier also states that 73% of those crimes go unpunished which sends the message that violent acts are accepted socially and that it’s a good method of dealing with problems that completely change the mindset of a developing child who doesn’t know any better. The facts in this section surprised me because, when I’m watching TV, I don’t think about things like this due to being so caught up in the show and as a result of that I don’t pay attention to how all the violence that I have been watching on TV really affects me and others around me.

The next section of this article talks about the primary effects of TV violence. Frazier states that violence on television can lead to aggressive behavior. I agree and disagree with this. I agree that children can become aggressive as a result of watching violence on TV and that it can change their behavior from what they were to much more violent, aggressive, and impatient. but I also disagree because not all children are the same. They all have different personalities as of where some will adapt to the violence and some just simply won’t.

Another section of this article talks about research findings. Frazier talks about studies that were conducted by others in this section. While reading all the studies I can tell that most researchers agree that violence that is obtained from TV changes the behavior of a child to become more aggressive and violent towards others. I agree that when a child watches violent shows on TV they can get a bit more violent because they have seen that violence is accepted by society and that it is a social norm. One of the experiments that Frazier talks about is how a TV was introduced to a Canadian community for two years where it was not available before and then they proceeded and recorded their behavior which showed a significant increase in physical and verbal aggression. In my opinion, the researcher was a little bias because he/she only saw what they wanted to see because they only paid attention to the negative effects of the study and not the positive effects of the study.

The last section of the article talks about what parents can do to help. This section mentions very good points and effective ways where parents can limit what their kid is being exposed to. I believe this section is very helpful because it provides parents with ways in which they can help their kids become nonviolent. It allows parents to recognize and eliminate what might be the bad influence in the behavior of their kid. I agree with the author with this point because, to solve a problem, you must first, recognize the issue which is causing it in the first place, and then proceed to solve the problem.

This article was very well informed. I mostly agreed with all the points the author made. While reading this article, it was hard for me to understand some of the words because I did not know the meaning of the words. In this article, the author only addressed one side of the topic, which was acceptable due to her title but, it would have made her argument even stronger if she had included a mix of both sides to help the reader understand more clearly. I believe that TV violence can affect children in a negative way which will follow them growing up unless they decide to cut back and get support and help, they need to recover.

XXI century is a century when technology is developing rapidly. From the second half of 20 the century all types of media like movies and video games are spread in the world. Most of this media are have violent scenes. And today, with developing technologies these scenes can be seen clearly. Almost all children and adolescents are grown by seeing bloody scenes and they are used to these scenes. However, does this situation have consequences to the children’s psychology and body? Answer – yes. Children and adolescents are negatively influenced by violence in media such as video games, movies, and the Internet. However, The American Academy of Pediatrics gives some recommendations to solve this problem.

Problem 1

Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents as a physical and mental. Browne (2005) states that there is consistent evidence that violent imagery in television, film and video, and computer games has substantial short-term effects on arousal, thoughts, and emotions, increasing the likelihood of aggressive or fearful behavior in younger children, especially in boys. American children between 8 and 18 years of age spend an average of 6 hours and 21 minutes each day using entertainment media. This data gets from the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal that came out in 2009. You can imagine what happens to this data after a decade. Also, it has been researched that the influence of computer video games to children and young man are much more than television and films. The reason of that was viewers can interact actively with the image. Computer games amplify physiological arousal, aggression-related thoughts and feelings, and reduce pro-social behavior. Almost all introverts are gamers. So, one of the results of playing computer games is decreasing or not developing of social abilities in children and this can lead to difficulties in adulthood.

Problem 2

Children are influenced by media— they learn by observing, imitating, and adopting behaviors. In Pediatrics journal (2009) states that high exposure to violent video games increases physical aggression especially in American and Japanese school-aged children. There are games like GTA, Mafia and Hitman, where players control characters’ action. These games have scenes of beating and killing people. Some children who played these games have low level of self-control and they are wants to imitate violence in games in the real life. In the media and internet you can find many incidents where children or teenagers commit a crime like a bullying, sexual harassment or even murder cases. For example, Browne (2005) mentioned that Sue Baily investigated 40 adolescent murderers and 200 young sex offenders. She claimed that repeated exposure to violent and pornographic videos was an important factor in violent and sex crimes including, in some cases, actual imitation of the screen image. Indeed, a prevalence study of copycat crime claims that one in four violent juvenile offenders have attempted to imitate crime depicted in the media.

Solution

Solving these problems will not be easy but there are some tricks that can be used. The UNESCO review of research findings suggests that everyone is negatively affected in some way by media violence, but that these effects depend on an individual’s cognitive appraisal and physical and social environment. For example, a child who lives in poor family or his/her parents are not given proper education have more chance to get mental influence. On the contrary, if parents control their children and children grows in the good environment, these children should not or not so hard negatively affected by media violence. Removing television, internet connections and video games from children’s bedroom can decrease the influence of media violence. Also, parents should be with children as much as possible and watch films and play video games that have not violent imagery. If child will be more active and plays in the court with other children, the mental stability of child will be stronger. Children should not be at home and spend a lot of time to video games. Even children spend time to various media it should be nonviolent media. Contrariwise this should be more child-positive media like media education and thoughtful media.

Conclusion

Finally, the influence of violence in the media such as Internet and video games is huge. Children and young adults that are negatively influenced by media violence may be smaller throughout the world, but this problem should not be ignored. Every life is priceless. However, this problem can be solved by some methods indicated above. Yes, it can’t be eliminated full. But, if every family uses these recommendations, number of children who have mental or physical problems because of media violence should be decreased. This also applies number of young offenders.