Let Them Have Fun

Several weeks ago, a grandmother and mother brought their two girl children to junior bowling for the first time. The kids are 5 and 6 years old and had never been bowling in their life. It became immediately known that the grandmother and mother were going to be problems when the 5-year old took the bowling ball and threw it in the gutter on her first throw.

Even though there was a junior coach assigned to the pair of lanes, the grandmother went running down to the lane, called the young girl over to her and yelled, "why didn't you hit down any pins?" The girl immediately stood frozen, her hand to her mouth, and looking at the floor. The grandmother then yelled at the coach, "what are we paying $8.00 for?" The adult daughter, meanwhile, stood in the back concourse area complaining to no one in particular about the error of their ways in selecting this junior bowling program to bring their children to.

Over the past few weeks, the adults have been talked to and they are quieting down; but, you can see them fidgeting in their chairs trying to keep their mouths shut. They are still having a tough time dealing with the fact that their two girls aren't knocking down pins every time they throw the ball. Neither of the two adults bowl; but, it doesn't stop them from trying to tell the coaches how to coach their children. We can only hope that over the coming weeks, they will learn that their kids will not end the season averaging 200+ so they should just let them get out there and have fun for now.

If you enroll your children in a junior bowling program, here's my "Choc-List" for you:

1) Your children are children. They are not mini-adults and neither are they "mature for their age." They are just kids.

2) Don't expect them to be bowling high scores and averaging over 200 in the next few years. Actually, don't expect them to average anywhere near that point 10 years from when they first start bowling.

3) You CAN expect them to show gradual improvement year-after-year in their scores. You should also expect them to show continued improvement in their social skills and responsibilities toward other aspects of their life.

4) Let them have FUN! There will be plenty of time for seriousness about bowling when they get into their teens and/or high school years, if necessary.

A Hui Hou! (See You Again!)