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Original poster

If your son doesn’t play football, do you feel he misses out on life

157 replies

GingerKittenTail · 22/10/2022 13:15

?

OP posts:
tigger1001 · 23/10/2022 14:15

hotdiggetydog · 22/10/2022 19:31

I've always found kids who don't like football a bit weird

This is the weirdest comment on this thread.

People are individuals and develop their own likes and dislikes. There is nothing wrong in likening football. Equally there is nothing wrong in not liking it and enjoying something else.

twotoedsloth · 24/10/2022 22:54

DS is 8 and is starting to talk about football more and more recently. Until now he's always had friends to play other things with at lunchtime. But it sounds like more and more boys are playing football now which worries me a bit. He has started playing occasionally at lunchtime too, but I'm not sure he will like it enough to be playing all the time, and he might get teased for not being very good.

Neither me or DH are into football, but we did try to introduce DS to it when he was younger, but he was not interested at all when he was 4, and when we tried at age 6 he was not good enough to join the local team.

Cosmic47 · 07/12/2022 17:21

God no, why would he be missing out ? Not all boys are into football or own a football shirt, mine doesn't thank God..there's more to life.

Cosmic47 · 07/12/2022 17:29

antipodeancanary · 22/10/2022 15:44

I think yes they are missing out. Football is a huge thing in the world of men and boys. Not having even a basic knowledge of the game does absolutely limit interactions. I think its a responsibility we have as parents to set our kids up to succeed by being able to chat about this easy stuff that so many other people are interested in. It's like parents who say shit like DS doesn't have screen time, doesn't eat sweets, isn't allowed a phone, isn't interested in gaming etc This is all cultural capital in boys so you are setting your son up to be an outsider. And there is no way back for lots of these guys who remain unpopular quite honestly. Foster interests that other people share. Sure your kid may naturally only like croquet and breeding rabbits, but no one else does, so it severely restricts his social interactions and standing.

What utter nonsense, as if being an outsider is so terrible, newsflash.....it's called being an individual and not following the crowd. 🙄

Fizbosshoes · 07/12/2022 17:39

My DS has never enjoyed football but used to play at lunch times with a small group of friends at primary school. He feels more self conscious at secondary school because he says his primary friend's knew and didn't mind that he wasn't very good at it but there's more pressure at high school. The boys that are good at football seem to be the popular ones.
He's quite reasonable at most other sports - rounders, cricket, running, badminton and tennis but doesn't like football or rugby.
He does other sports in school clubs and outside of school.

He's now found a group of friends that are all into other stuff and they do (what my Dd thinks are) nerdy/geeky things together like chess club, coding, rubix cubes, table tennis etc at lunch times.

Cosmic47 · 07/12/2022 17:42

hotdiggetydog · 22/10/2022 19:31

I've always found kids who don't like football a bit weird

Weird how ? Do you live in a bubble ? I find boys who like football and nothing else a bit weird, you can tell what the
Parents are like usually, boring stereotypes.

Fizbosshoes · 07/12/2022 19:22

My DS likes following and watching football, he can have a conversation about it, he just doesn't enjoy playing it!

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