All Articles by Brooke de Lench

There are certain situations when complaining about a youth sports coach by going over his head is necessary. When a parent has already talked to the coach about the problem without success or where the coach has acted in a way that is so egregious that it needs to be brought to the attention of higher authorities, it's time to go speak to an age, club, league or athletic director.

Studies have shown that among the many effects of physical abuse are depression, anxiety, cognitive and learning difficulties, even a lowering of IQ (especially verbal IQ), disordered sleep, flashbacks, loss of empathy, aggressive behavior, chronically high stress levels which can lead to chronic health effects such as high blood pressure and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and inability to maintain relationships.

Not only do youth sports cost a lot of money, they also soak up an incredible amount of time, both yours and your child's. While there are a lot of positives to sports participation, you need to gauge your level of commitment before getting your child seriously involved in any sport.

Often overlooked in the quest to keep youth sports in perspective and balance for your children and your family is the need to keep sports from overwhelming the family budget. Participation in youth sports can be, and often is, expensive. One mother estimated that her family's expenses for her three children at $100,000 over a 10 year period.

The growth of early travel teams and specialization in single sport is not in the best interests of children.

Just getting your kids to all their activities can be exhausting to think about, unless you learn how to organize, prioritize and plan ahead.