You don’t force them! Let them do what they are interested in! Why force them to play sports ? Is it for social status? Is it because he’s a boy, and that’s what boys are "supposed " to do? I’m not being rude I’m just wondering your thought process.
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I wouldn’t force them to do sports, but i personally would force them to get interested in something. Music, horse backriding, art, karate, something other than video games. And make video games a privilege not something they can do whenever.
My 4 year old son almost 5, shows some very worrisome quantities of laziness and only wanting to play video games and watch tv and eating only snacks. So i do have to force him to play outside and sometimes even inside. No tv, no switch, until he plays outside.
We also didnt “force” him to play but we put him in tball this past spring and it was awful for the first 3 weeks of practice. He was throwing tantrums but we stood firm and made him finish told him if you dont like we wont sign you up again but you have to finish this season. And he stopped resisting us and ended up having so much fun!
I wouldn’t force them into sports however if they expres an interest in baseball (for example) then want to quit after only a couple weeks I would “force” them to complete the season or time requirement. Use it as an honoring your commitment discussion
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No. Let them do things that interest them. As long as they are active, it shouldn’t matter if they are in group sports or not.
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Nope! They tried to force me into sports and it didn’t go well because I am not athletic. Finally we came to the agreement that I would do volunteer work instead of a sport.
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I plan on putting my kids in sports young and letting them decide when they get older and understand their decision but I’m trying to find the motivation to get myself active more so I can lead by example of at least taking a daily walk and not being a couch potato all the time
My son was the same way goes right for the video games. Signed him up for MMA years ago loves it and just got his green belt. Helps with confidence, respect, and gets his energy out.
There are SO MANY other activities besides just sports. Find something else that interests him. If video games are his main interest, look into coding and programming classes. They have classes for kids as young as 6. Turn something you view as negative into something positive.
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Nope! You would just create a resentment and he will just hold back any team he is on because he do bare minimum. It’s time for everyone to face it that it’s better to embrace the technology inclined (even video games) because the world is only going to advance in technology. Find computer, technology or video game related things for him to get into
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Force a child to play a sport🙄 no ! All children have different personalities. Some are sporty , crafty, gamers, sportsman like fishing… just like adults! You like what you like. I can understand not enjoying video games because the worry of them not getting social interaction, along with physical activity. But there are things out there all over for gamers socially and the physical activity ask them what they’d like to try.
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My husband and I believe heavily into sports. We don’t allow electronics except for a long car ride of 3+ hours. Each child has tried so many sports until they found the one that fits them best. They don’t have to play competitively but have to have something physically active. We also make them finish the season if they decide on a sport.
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Same situation. My kid has been playing baseball since 5 years old. This year is his first year not signing up. He said he doesnt wanna play baseball anymore. Its boring for him. He wanted to play airsoft… (Its like paintball) so i bought him equipment to play airsoft. My boyfriend (not his father) hates that he dont play anymore. (Probably cause he liked coaching). Ive always told my son if he started something he was gonna finish the season. Which he always has. mines also only really into video games and had no interest in anything i hate it too.
Find something that he is interested in outside of sport if he doesn’t enjoy sport
I personally wouldn’t force my child to play a sport they weren’t interested in. I can only hope they grow up to be athletic like me haha so I can cheer them on! I would just let him video game if that’s what he likes, hey at least he is home 
NO! Not every boy or girl is sporty. Some are into video games and that’s ok! Some are into sports, or are more artsy or are more intellectual. NEVER force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do.
I was in sports and sucked at them. I was more creative and artsy.
My (boys) oldest likes basketball but is not the sportiest and more into arts and science and currently into gaming. My youngest is very talented at dancing and is also sporty.
Kids should have the choice and also let them be versatile. More people like people who are good at a wide variety of things than jocks.
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I wouldn’t force him. Maybe see if there are camps for coding or something he may e interested in.
Why would you force him into doing something he’s not interested in? If he wants to play video games let him. Kids have different hobbies, it’s normal.
You don’t force them into sports. With that said, however, don’t let them spend all day on video games either. Make sure they get adequate time outside to play. That way they get vit D from the sun and their eyes get a break from screens. They don’t have to play competitively, just make sure they get out and play.
All of the above advice is spot on. I am in the same boat as you. My oldest plays basketball, but isn’t sporty, and is really into video games. I have told him he doesn’t have to play this upcoming season if he doesn’t want to, but I would like him to find another activity he is interested in. It just so happened that last season he was taught a skill in basketball that he’s really good at, so now he wants to continue playing. But I’m encouraging him to look at clubs when middle school starts. I know it’s hard when society expects boys to play sports but as long as they are well rounded and involved in something they like, that’s all that matters!
Not everyone has the sports bug, and there are so many other avenues for extra curricular activity. Please don’t force your child to play if they don’t want to play, it takes all the genuine potential fun out of whatever you’re doing once you’re forced to do it.
Don’t force the sports on the child, encourage the child. They get far too much screen time at school. They don’t need to play on video games constantly. Children need to be outside and learn to socialize. Sports, Boy Scouts, and other activities requiring socialization would be a better outlet for our children than video games. Especially if said child has ADHD. Video games are the worst sort of entertainment for them. Karate is another good outlet. It teaches your child respect for others and discipline. And respect for self. Never force. Encourage. They need friends, to socialize, and to learn specific skills dealing with other people. There are ways to encourage your child to find something other than video games.
If you force him and he is injured how will you feel how will he feel toward you knowing it was your fault I always wanted to play sports. At 23 my Dr told me I’d never run again at 27 I had to have an operation very major they took a ligament out of my thigh trans planted it to my knee it took 4 different incisions almost 6 months on crutches and remember I wanted to play
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There is more to life than sports. There’s music, arts, animals, architecture, engineering, so much more that lights a fire than just sports.
You want a child who hates you in the long run? If not to you don’t force the issue, you let your child be themselves and stop trying to force them to be like their older sibling
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Video games aren’t all bad. He may grow up to be one of the people writing code for them. That takes intelligence and knowing how they work. But there can be too much of a good thing! Becoming too sedentary is the problem. You just need to find a healthy balance of ANY kind of outside play and game time. You can do the outside play part as a family even. Go hiking, bike riding, to zoos, museums (big ones and the small local ones all over local towns), swimming somewhere, etc.
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Have you tried doing something together my family all did ice skating lessons together. There were still a lot of frowns about stepping away from the PS4 but we did it.
Don’t just force. Limit the video games to only on the weekends and find other outdoor/exercise activities. Tell the child you want to try new things, so you can find out what new activities you guys like. Do the things with the kid and make it a learning experience. If they hate all of what you do, at least they tried the things and got exercise trying them out. Keep trying and suggesting different sports, but they will hate it if you just force something without caring what they like or don’t like. I’m about to do kind of the same with my kids as school is starting soon and I am trying to give them sport and other activity options to try.
Nope nope nope. I will never put my kids in anything they don’t ask to do first.
U dont force a kid into sports
my son gravitated to video games and now he wants to go to college for coding. he’s won money in gaming tournaments too. let them choose their passion.
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Sports are not for all kids, if you force him he will be resentful and unhappy. Find other interests for him (aside from video games) – something that will make him happy.
Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Should all kids be forced to play sports? - Mamas Uncut
Hell no!!! You don’t force your children to do anything they don’t want to do including sports. I could give a rats butt about sports with my kid. I’m not a big sports person to begin with so it’s not hard for me to say that. I don’t feel like going to all those games and practices and all that myself. I do enough driving my family around and paying bills and all enough. Driving your husband to Palm tree jobs and such is really hard work you know by the time you’re done you’re ready to go home and quit driving. Stop forcing these kids to do sports if they don’t want to do them
No just let him do what makes him happy
Nooooo. Not every kid is sporty. For some kids there are unknown issues that interfere with them participating in sports. For some, forced competition is incredibly stressful. Unseen medical problems can make a simple sport or even game wayy harder for them than it is for other kids… being physically active is great but there are so many ways to do that without “forcing” your child to do something that they wont enjoy and will probably only be doing to try to gain your praise and approval.
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Honestly I didn’t do any sport as a kid, my parents just supported me wanting to do art and read all the time instead. And I really appreciated that.
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My husband grew up playing video games and is extremely active as an adult AND still plays video games when he has down time
Let your kid play video games, but allocate time frames so that they don’t forget reality. Never force shit on them. Just because your interest isn’t the same as there’s…
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You don’t. Would you want to be forced into something “fun” if you really weren’t interested in it? That would be like my mom forcing me to crochet cause she thinks it’s fun but I have zero interest.
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There’s nothing wrong with liking video games, let your kid like what he likes
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Have the best of both worlds and steer him towards competitive video games
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Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. Should all kids be forced to play sports? - Mamas Uncut
My oldest loves the video games and isn’t much for sports - mostly cuz he has club feet and can’t do them. He does like his jiu jitsu though but video games aren’t that bad. Maybe your youngest will be an e-sports star and make millions Playing video games
Your oldest son and youngest son are 2 completely different people. You need to realize this. They are not going to like the same things or do the same things as the other. Find something your youngest enjoys doing and allow him to be his own person rather than who you want him to be.
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You don’t force the issue. Instead, look for some other activities he may enjoy. Music, computers, art, dance, debate, chess, writing… the list is just about endless. Help him find his passion.
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Support his passions even if it isn’t sports related. Bond with him over his interests and explore interests that aren’t being “fed” like space, science, architecture etc. If physical activity is a concern for you schedule out park time which no portable games are allowed and make sure family gets involved playing with him so he doesn’t feel forced or isolated in playing outside. You may even find the whole family loves hiking, biking, park play etc.
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My son played sport when he was little but as he got up around 10 he hated sports. So we tried band, he loves it, hes been in band since 6th grade he will be a sophomore this year he plays 3 different instruments. But hasn’t played sports since 5th grade.
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I would never force them to play sports, but do encourage physical activity and reward them for it.
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E-sports have been very big in recent years and he could make a LOT of money and good friends in the gaming community. Support his passion. He will appreciate that beyond words.
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Each 1 of our children are their own individual.
My daughter loved reading instead of sport,but I made sure she had outside time.
1 son liked soccer the other football.
But I never forced them to do any sport or activity they didn’t want to.
Some kid’s don’t want the extra activities outside of school and that’s ok.
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Don’t force him. Allow your child to be who he is not who you want him to be. Making him play sports he doesn’t want to could lead to anger and resentment issues.
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You don’t. If you force activities on your kids, they will grow to hate them. If you’re worried he only plays video games, sounds like you need to create a better schedule and encourage other activities and set a good example. Like “hey, we are going hiking today” or “hey, we are volunteering today”
Video games aren’t inherently bad. I hate this boomer mentality of video games rot your brain.
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No … I was the 3 sport athlete in HS. My daughter played 3 seasons of little league softball and decided it wasn’t her thing. I forced myself to be ok w that bc she’s not me. The important part was that she tried and it wasn’t for her, we’ll find something else.
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I would encourage your son to try something, at least for a while. Children get a lot more out of sports than physical exercise. How to work with a team, having goals and strong work ethic to reach them. Not to mention accepting and receiving constructive criticism in a healthy way. If he still doesn’t budge, don’t push it.
i dabbled in a number of sports and I was never very good, but I had fun, made life long friends, and memories that I’ll look back on forever. It’s worth a shot.
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Allow your children to take up their own personal interests. If you force him to take up sports you will cause him to resent you to some degree.
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Wow no, absolutely do not force the issue. I would have a very different, strained, negative relationship with my parents now had they forced me into sport. Not every child is athletic. How would you feel being forced into something you didn’t enjoy?
You can encourage a healthy diet and exercise, based on being a good role model, but please do not force your kid into some sport for the sake of it.
Also… do you know how much money can be made in the video game industry? Whether that’s streaming or designing games. Do you realise how far gaming has come since your childhood? If your kid is talented and passionate, this could become a very successful career. I wouldn’t suppress it
Also, it’s a little weird you assume your youngest and oldest sons should be the same person. All kids are very unique
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Personally, and this is coming from a avid video game player myself, I’d limit their screen time, I wouldn’t force them to play sports or anything but limit their screen time and ask them what they want to do with the time not spent on video games, like maybe sports or band, or a club if their school is doing that
My brother who’s turning 13 this year… all he does is play video games, he says it’s his primary life while real life is the secondary… hes so moody when my mother tells him to get off the video games, I’d just stick to a schedule just so it doesn’t come to that 
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Video games aren’t some horrible, pointless waste of time. I’ve learned life lessons, social skills, and lots of other important things in my many, many hours in front of the TV. Meanwhile, what’s the point of sports? Why exert yourself to play a game and risk injury when you can just play with other people online?
We tried my oldest daughter in sports when she was younger and she just didnt like it. We had the same issue during covid where she just wanted to be in her room on her IPad. So I started looking around for camps or actives that suited her. We found an art camp. She loved it. Maybe try and find a coding class or something. Sports isnt for everyone but hopefully you can find something suited for your boy that he will enjoy. Trying to “make” him do something he isnt interested in will just backfire unfortunely.
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My ole lady advice is…no. Do you want to be forced to do something you dislike or hate? Every one of your kids is an individual, it’s your job to figure out their interests and support that interest. There is nothing wrong with requiring physical activity, but spend the time to find out what they like, or at a minimum dislike least. It’s better for them and less fights and frustration for your whole family.
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Never force a child to play sports, but encourage outdoor play. Give them opportunities to try if they like but never criitize them if they don’t like sports.
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You know how in-depth video games have become? How successful streaming is right now? What it takes to make/code an entire game? Get into your child’s hobbies and stop forcing the ones you like onto them. Maybe try finding sports video games y’all can play together since you’re so fixated on that particular activity.
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You don’t “force the issue” 
not every person loves or even likes sports! Also, stop comparing your younger child to your oldest or they’re going to grow up to resent you for it. They are two different people. Let them be who they are not who you think they should be! Find out what your younger child actually enjoys and support their passion! I know PLENTY of people that never played sports or even watch sports that are perfectly successful & happy adults.
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This misconception about video games is damaging.
Your children are individuals, who will enjoy and gravitate towards different activities.
Video gaming is not your 40 year old in mums basement with no job concept anymore.
I’m a married professional person, who really enjoys video games.
If anything as a teenager, it taught me key skills I use in my job today. Team work, communication skills, work well under pressure, great at problem solving, puzzle solving, the list goes on!
Encourage what your son enjoys and you’ll open a whole new world for him! Get involved, they’re are so many gaming conventions that I’m sure he’d enjoy.
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My son was (is) the same way.
Turns out he’s really into music and actually very good at it.
Everyone is different.
Not every boy loves sports and it drives me insane that so many people see a problem with that.
Help him find his thing.
Maybe let him pick what he wants to be involved in- there are so many options that are not sports. My youngest is a sports kid but my oldest was band, mathletes, science club. For us, as long as they are involved it doesn’t matter what they pick.
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If he doesn’t gravitate to sports but instead electronics maybe a STEM class/group would be a fit. Showing him how those electronics work/are developed could ignite an engineering fire in him🤷🏼♀️
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I’m going to have a lot of people disagree with me but I don’t care. Our kids have always had to play 2 sports from the time they were old enough. Sports teaches them sooooooo much that they will use throughout their entire lives. I’m not sure why so many people think their kids shouldn’t be made to do anything. Getting to do or not do everything you want couldn’t be further from real life. Almost everyone will have someone making them do stuff their entire lives because that’s real life. My older 2 kids are married with their own kids and are raising theirs the same way. You won’t find better loving, respectful, successful people than them. My youngest is 16 and is being raised the same way and he can’t stand being lazy with nothing to do. Sports make a huge difference in kids in so many ways!! Also, you asked, how do I force the issue. You just make him. You ARE the parent!!
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I played video games my whole life and I’m running my own biz before I’m 30. He’ll be fine
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You don’t force anything. They are not the same person. Best thing to do is to get involved with the youngest gaming. It may be boring to you but that’s what he enjoys. You can check around your city for gaming clubs and competitions. Encourage him in what he loves
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I think sports are good for kids. I don’t think it’s good for kids to play video games all the time. I do believe kids need to be active and apart of a social group.
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My dad said his biggest regret looking back to his childhood was that he didn’t go out for sports. My parents forced my twin brothers and I too play sports.I played volleyball basketball and ran track Once we were in high school we sort of had a choice, tho but if we quit a sport we had to go get a job. Needless to say by my senior year I only played volleyball and had a part time job. I might of been mad at my parents at the time but I got over it. And now I’m thankful that i had that experience. I plan on doing the same thing to my kids one day 
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Do NOT force them to be into sports. Embrace their love for video games. They could end up being a game designer one day and make big bucks. 
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I would encourage other activities such as band, drama club, choir, etc. many kids say they don’t want to do things. Both of my girls were in marching band. They practiced as much as the football team. (Much harder as they had to march while playing an instrument and keep in step). The band also went to contests and went on an out of state trip each year. My girls loved it. Just encourage activities.
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I have two thoughts:
1.Some children do like sports because of the stress of competition
Perhaps try individual sports such as archery, swimming
2. physical labour is not for everyone, but just video games is not acceptable, be more aware of his diet and add more protein, less carbs so he has more energy to get off the couch
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Not every kid wants to play sports. There’s other activities you can get him involved in that isn’t sports.
My daughter’s take cooking class singing lego robotics not every kid has to be athletic 
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Never force. Both of my sons were very
athletic but I have friends whose sons were not.
Let them follow their hearts.
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The only reason parents imo want kids in sports is to socialize. Plenty of ways to do that in person and virtually with video games.
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Forcing your kid into something is only going to make them resent the thing you’re forcing them to do AND they’re going to resent YOU for it. I’m speaking from experience. Just let your children explore their own hobbies. I agree with other commentary saying to maybe just change up their schedule to include more outdoor activities (hiking, going for walks, etc) if you’re that worried about it. But you should absolutely NEVER force them into things they don’t want to do. It’ll only end in frustration and resentment most likely from all parties involved.
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I do believe every child needs to participate in some sort of extracurricular, but what they participate in is 100% up to them.
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Some kids just don’t like PE. Encourage maybe to find something he does take interest in though? It doesn’t have to be super sporty running style but he might find a niche.
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I’m the eldest of 5. I agree that you can’t expect them to be alike in their interests, but bare minimum, you should expect them to be social and active (which is why sports are a go to). you could encourage them to pick a sport and try it, or pick a club at school to try - I was in the dictionary club in elementary school and absolutely loved it, same with softball in high school. if they don’t find a sport that suits them, find ways to keep them active otherwise - get them into riding a bike, swimming, hiking, working out! it is SO important to be social and active, especially if you can be used to that as a kid, it makes it easier to function as an adult later on. I wasn’t very active as an older teenager and have spent my entire adulthood struggling with my weight and the motivation to change it through exercise.
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‘Forced’ is not the right word. It’s good to encourage, motivate, reward, but never force.
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My oldest loves baseball… so does his autistic brother… but my little one loves video games. It’s great for fine motor control. And helps with cognitive awareness… I would suggest Lego video games… mainly, bc its not at violent as most but allows them to make decisions and perform tasks…m
I get wanting him to be part of a group activity. It is good for them. Try finding a game group or a d&d group.
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They are different people and you need to accept that. They will both differ in strengths and weaknesses. Forcing anything on anyone never ends well. Usually just leads to resentment. Support and love him even if you don’t understand the video game thing.
My daughter and son are the same way, one likes everything competitive and the other doesn’t. I don’t force them to do a particular activity but I do force them to stay active. They can pick what they want to do. Whether its being active with the brain or the body they have to pick something but they can choose how they do so for a minimum of 3 days a week.
The only thing I require is swim lessons because that is a safety issue. I quite frankly hated sports so I would never force my kid. She has tried dance, soccer, gymnastics. I feel like trying Is good because you might find something you like but if you don’t you don’t. Maybe she’ll enjoy playing an instrument or something else. Honestly, I don’t care. I didn’t end up involved in anything and I had some good friends, was always on the honor roll and to this day haven’t even tried pot. I like hanging with my friends, reading, tv, movies, shopping, swimming. Was a goody two shoes who never got in trouble but had a brain and a smart mouth
Don’t force him to play sports but encourage him to get outside and do physical activities… put a lock on the video games so he gets a set time and isn’t playing it all day
Force is probably never a good idea, but really encourage them to find some sort of team/group activity to help foster their ability to work collaboratively and take direction. Sports, band, academic…
Not forced into sports but heavy encouragement to have some sort of physical activity. All Our kids had a horse and skiing. Each had other activities
You don’t force the issue. Not everyone is a sports enthusiasts. He will find his niche.
Kids usually don’t really know what they will enjoy. What I did with my 4 kids is I enrolled to different program and when they showed interest in one then I asked them if that is something they want to continue. It worked for my kids.
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I was always an athlete growing up and my kids are gamers and not really interested in competitive sports at first it was hard for me I tried to get them involved in baseball and other things but they didn’t like it now we do Boy Scouts and look for events that are for robotics and gaming things like comicon are something we enjoy going to together. We do a lot of activities outdoors together like geocaching, hiking, swimming and bike rides. I try not to force them to do things they don’t enjoy
Every single child is different, where one child will love maths and reading another wil love art and writing, we should embrace their strengths and encourage them to use their strengths to help better themselves, and use them in their future. We of course should always encourage children to try and improve on the things they dont enjoy as much such as writing because it is important, but don’t force them into anything. We want our children to be happy, and making them do something they do not like will not make them happy and it wont be better for them in the long run, and can actually cause anxiety. Encourge ur other child to do something with computers, not gaming but coding! Or something like that.
Maybe they would enjoy something like Karate. You can’t force your kid to like sports but physical activity is important for a healthy lifestyle.
No, they should not. I hated PE because I was not good at any sport. If I had been forced to play it would have been horrific.
We didn’t really force it but my son got frustrated because he didn’t know how to play anything and didn’t really want to go but now he is actually excited about it!
If he’s more into tech than sports, you could always get him in a computer club and computer or coding camp. Maybe try an instrument? Something to engage his creative side
Everyone is different. And no one should be forced to do anything.
I have 4 boys one is only 2weeks old. But out of the other 3 only 1 plays a sport (basketball)
My oldest 10 is more into games and making games etc. His not sporty at all but he does like swimming.
My 8 year old plays basketball and loves it. He will get outside for hours playing everything from cricket to footy.
My 5 year old is in-between games and sports. He wants to try footy and if he doesn’t like it we will keep trying others if he doesn’t like any then he doesn’t have to do them 