The Decision Behind the Bench
Susan Solomon Yem looks back on a deliberate choice she made for her five children: to keep youth sports affordable and enjoyable rather than letting costly commitments dominate family life.
She recalls the early excitement of her oldest son, who dreamed of ice hockey, only to discover that the price of ice time, early practices and long trips would have turned a simple pastime into a financial strain.
Living in a Massachusetts town where hockey is practically a rite of passage, the family watched other children slip into elite programs, while her own kids gravitated toward cheaper alternatives like T‑ball, basketball and gymnastics.
Only one of the children displayed genuine athletic promise, earning a spot in A Division Little League at ten and later celebrating a championship, but the rest of the siblings found their own rhythms in less structured environments.
Her third son tried a non‑competitive hockey league, but the chill of early morning practices and the grind of endless drills proved too much, leading him to quit after three months.
He later took up lacrosse in middle school, a decision that brought social attention but also a lingering regret for not having played baseball in high school, where the sport attracted more interest from peers.
Two of the youngest children attended a startup school that required participation in sports; one opted for soccer, the other for lacrosse, yet neither emerged as standout athletes.
A serious concussion sustained during a soccer match forced a week‑long school absence and ultimately led the family to reconsider any further involvement in organized athletics during high school.
Today, the children prefer to watch games from the sidelines or on television, finding satisfaction in cheering rather than competing.
Finding Balance
For Susan, the experiment was less about shielding her children from competition and more about preserving time, money and mental well‑being for a family that values fun and exercise above trophies.
Her story illustrates a growing sentiment among parents who, faced with rising costs and intense pressure in youth sports, choose to let their kids explore a broader range of activities without the weight of elite expectations.