You can't let your kids play tackle football! They're going to get hurt!
Well, yes, they'll likely get hurt if they play tackle football.
However, the statistics may not shape up quite up quite how you'd expect.
Many of use have heard the stat that there are more concussions in youth soccer than in youth football. That is true, but it's only because there are so many more kids playing soccer than football.
How about this one...
Are there more concussions in youth flag football or youth tackle football?
You're smart enough to know where I'm going with this, and it is true. There are actually more concussions for youth flag football players than youth tackle football players.
The point of this isn't for you to pull your kids out of every sport.
The point of this is for you to see that all sports have risk of injury, but that there are benefits that go far beyond that.
Justin Worsham of The Dad Podcast explains:
"I think parents can easily get bogged down with the stats about sport injuries because no one wants their kid to get hurt. The downside is that this can overshadow the benefits of sports.
Learning accountability to those around you, overcoming adversity, and, not to mention, the health benefits. As I have pointed out before, more and more kids are struggling to deal with negative emotions and experiences. It is the unintended consequence of trying to protect you kid. We are forgetting how effective struggle and failure are at teaching life's lessons."
Learn more about youth sports injuries at Hopkins Medicine and Los Angeles Times
To hear more of Justin's take on the myths of youth sports injuries, and other parenting topics, you can check out all of his stuff at The Dad Podcast
Check out his latest episode with Jessica Winther about giving yourself some slack when parenting, and how your relationship changes when you kids get older.