My wife and I are probably never going to have kids. We enjoy traveling and having the freedom to do what we want when we want. Of course, we reserve the right to change our minds on this, and if we do decide to have kids, I have a list of things I would like my child to do:

1. Learn a second language
2. Learn to play an instrument
3. Work some sort of manual labor job
4. Work some sort of customer service job
5. Participate in karate and/or gymnastics

You may notice that I have not mentioned playing any sports. Being an athlete growing up, having worked at the highest level of professional baseball, and being married to a former athlete, I understand the value that sports can bring to the life of a growing child. Learning to deal with difficulty and failure, learning to be a team player, discipline, accountability. These are all valuable lessons a child can learn from sports. However, I do not want to force sports on my child (at least not organized sports). Youth sports today have become a nightmare. 6U showcases with breakdowns of mechanics for parents, traveling all over for tournament after tournament, getting “scouted” before the age of 10. Youth sports have really become a frontier of pure craziness as everyone is trying to have his/her child “go pro”. I would rather build an ice rink in my backyard and teach my son/daughter to skate there or build a wiffleball field for all the local kids to play in at our house. Just let the kids be kids and have some fun playing.

Getting off of my soapbox, let’s discuss why I think each of the above points are valuable for the development of a child for the real world.

Learning a Second Language

In today’s world, understanding and speaking a second language is an enormously valuable tool to have (both for personal interactions and future employment). My wife studied Spanish in her undergraduate work, and has lived in Spain, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. For all intents and purposes she is fluent in the language. Working in baseball and wanting to have our (potential) future children speak Spanish, I have started to learn the language. With her help I would say I have an above-average grasp on Spanish. If we do decide to have children, they will (more than likely) be enrolled in a dual immersion school.

Learning to Play an Instrument

I was always an athlete growing up. Whether it was organized or backyard, we always had some sort of sport going on. I never took the time to learn an instrument as a kid. I think this is a huge mistake. My wife bought me a ukulele for my 27^th birthday and it has completely changed my life. First of all, convincing someone with no musical talent or understanding whatsoever to learn an instrument is a difficult task. I wasn’t sure how I would feel trying to learn it (stupid is the answer), but the process of learning something way out of my comfort zone has done tremendous things for me. It has opened up a creativity level for me that I did not previously know I had. Despite being mediocre at best, I love to play. I’ve never had an outlet in life (I don’t drink, smoke, do drugs, etc. Essentially I train to get away from the real world), but the ukulele has allowed me some peaceful time with my own thoughts. It’s proven to me that no matter what the task (or at what age I try to pick it up), I can improve with consistency, discipline, and work ethic. I believe a child should have a healthy balance of art, science, math, and physical activity. (And if you’re wondering my wife plays the piano).

Working Manual Labor

This is the simplest one for me: the value of good old-fashioned hard work. Construction, farm work, whatever – I just want my child to understand what it’s like to work hard. The closest I got to this in my life was working in the Big Lots furniture department for four years. Between endless building projects for our department and constantly carrying out couches, mattresses, etc. I learned a great deal about loading and carrying odd objects (which may be the reason for my appeal towards Strongman training).

Working in Customer Service

As I mentioned I worked at Big Lots. My wife was a server during college and worked fast food in high school. These jobs will take pieces of your soul and never return them, but you learn how to deal with people at these jobs. I interacted with every type of customer at Big Lots (happy, angry, disappointed, confused, etc.), and I remember many nights after my wife got off from serving of having to let her vent to me about some of the people she had to deal with. Face-to-face human interaction is becoming more and more obscure nowadays (what with social media and cellphones and all), but its importance will never go away. For this reason I would like our child to find some sort of customer service job in his/her lifetime.

Participate in karate and/or gymnastics

Bodyweight training at a young age is so critically important for development (in my mind). Having spatial awareness and control of your own body in different situations is valuable to a healthy life. I did one day of karate and zero days of gymnastics as a child, and it is one of my biggest regrets in terms of pure development. I have honestly started incorporating more gymnastics-type training into my own programs recently as I still value the ideas of better spatial awareness and body control even as I am getting into my early-30s. I find it hard to believe that a child who can control his/her body from a young age will be a bad athlete.

These are development goals that I am hoping our child will achieve. My first job (right or wrong) was a summer job at age 14. I hated it. It was long hours during the time when I was supposed to be a kid. I’d work in the morning then go to baseball in the evening. I’d be exhausted every night. But I learned the value of hard work. I learned the value of earning a dollar, and being accountable for your actions in a work environment. There are plenty of good life lessons to be learned in sports, but there are even more to be learned elsewhere. Don’t force your kids to play sports to the point that they miss out on these life lessons. And don’t get so wrapped up in your kids “going pro” that you forget that they are simply that: kids.