One thing that I’ve learned in six years of being a youth sports parent is that there isn’t a youth sports organization that is perfect. Regardless of what sport your child plays or what region you live in, there will be some rocky moments.

At the end of the day, parents must do what they feel is right for their children and keep the best interests of their children in mind.

Are they having fun? Are they learning? If the answer to those two questions is yes, then all of the stuff might just be distraction. If the answer is no, it might be time for a change.

Our family has been fortunate. Bradley has played six seasons with the same youth football program, and there’s been little in the way of drama. In fact, when you think of everyone involved in the organization –administration, coaches, parents and players – I don’t think we could have asked for a better football family.

A few years ago, there were some parents and coaches who weren’t happy and didn’t like the direction that the program was going. So they started their own youth football program in our town and joined a different league. Some families left. Many stayed.

Were there problems? Absolutely. Were they legitimate reasons to leave? Well, that depends on the point of view.

If you are thinking about switching teams, five things that you should consider:

• The perfect program is a fantasy. In other words, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Sure, there might be an issue with your current program, but the one you’re thinking about going to likely has its own problems. Change for the sake of change isn’t always a good thing.
• Can the problems be fixed? Some issues are more changeable than others. For example, if there aren’t enough coaches or players to field a team, it’s probably a good idea to look elsewhere. If the problem is a lack of new equipment or another financial issue, maybe the program simply needs to improve its fundraising efforts.
• Don’t be pound wise and penny foolish. One reason to consider change is that another team charges less money for registration. Be careful when you take that into consideration. What are you getting for your money? Is the equipment up to standards? Are coaches certified? Do you pay for your own uniforms?
• There are politics everywhere. When you think about the worst part of youth sports, politics tops nearly every list. If you’re thinking about changing teams because of politics, do some homework on the team you’re going to. If you hear people say, “There are no politics with that team,” be skeptical. Maybe holding some parents-only meetings to air out issues is a good idea once in a while.
• What does your child want to do? As a parent, you might be able to deal with any issues that you are experiencing with your current program. If you’re not sure what you want to do, ask the child. If he or she is still enjoying it, then you might want to stick it out. Clashing with other parents shouldn’t be a reason to move if your child is happy.

Changing youth sports programs is not a decision to rush into. There are good reasons to leave, and there are foolish reasons to defect.

One of the reasons that the group of parents and coaches left our football program to start another one was because the flagpole at our home field was too far from the field. You know what we did? We bought a flag and had siblings of the players carry it onto the field for the national anthem before games.

Seems pretty silly in retrospect.

Peter Schwartz is an anchor and reporter for the CBS Sports Radio Network. He also writes a CBS New York sports blog at http://newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/peter-schwartz/. You can follow him on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. Peter’s son Bradley plays for the Levittown Red Devils of the Nassau Suffolk Football League on Long Island in New York. His son Jared cheers on Bradley and then Bradley returns the favor when Jared is playing soccer.