A few years ago, my son Jared wanted to give football a shot. He had been playing soccer for a couple of years, but he saw how much his older brother Bradley enjoyed football, and he knew how much the sport has meant to our family. So, he decided, at age 5, to give tackle football a chance and went to training camp with our local youth football program. 

But after a few days, Jared decided that tackle football wasn’t for him and decided to go back to soccer. My wife Sheryl and I didn’t think that was the end of football for Jared because every child is different. Bradley has been playing since he was 4, but Jared just wasn’t ready for it yet. He just needed to find the right situation to get started. 

RELATED CONTENT: Why a football camp is a better option than travel football 

Are you the parent of a youth, middle school or high school football player who’s looking for more tips or resources? Check out our Parent Guide, Parents 101 course, nutritious recipes and more.

A couple of years later, Jared was back on the gridiron, playing flag football, and he absolutely loves it. The year before, Jared overheard Bradley and I talking about a friend of his playing flag and asked what it was about. When I told him what flag football was all about, Jared seemed genuinely excited about it and wanted to play.  

At the time, Jared was going into first grade and couldn’t play because you had to be in second grade to register for the local flag football program. It seemed kind of odd that he was old enough to play tackle football but not old enough to play flag, but he waited patiently for a year to get on the field. 

As Tom Petty wrote, “The Waiting Is the Hardest Part.”  

RELATED CONTENT: From pee-wee football nerves to inspiring pee-wee football players, thank you, Nick Mangold

Waiting a year to play flag football enabled Jared to take some time and learn a little bit about the game. Once he was on the field, he loved it. It was real football without the helmets and the pads, and Jared still was able to learn the fundamentals that were taught to him at a summer youth football camp and applied them to flag.  

Jared has now really fallen in love with football because he’s learning the game in an environment where he’s comfortable. He’s watching more football on TV and enjoys when we go to a New York Jets game as a family. Playing flag football has given Jared the opportunity to understand the rules and nuances of the game and can’t wait to play again next season.

RELATED CONTENT: It's always football season in our house

Next month, Jared will go to a three-day youth football camp for the fourth straight year, but he now loves flag football so much that he’ll also be going to a flag football day camp in August. He always liked the concept of football, but just needed the right introduction to it from a competitive standpoint. Flag football has done that for him, and it even has him thinking about giving tackle another try.  

The most important thing is that Jared loves football and he feels that way about the sport because of flag. Because every child is different, there are multiple ways to be introduced to a sport. Parents should always consider flag football as an option for their child because it’s fun and it’s a great way to learn the fundamentals of the sport before making the decision to try tackle.

Peter Schwartz is a sports anchor for the CBS Sports Radio Network, FOX News Headlines 24/7 and WCBS 880 Radio in New York. His oldest son Bradley plays youth tackle football for the Super Bowl Champion East Meadow Rams on Long Island, while his younger son Jared plays flag football for the LSW Giants. Peter, his wife Sheryl and the boys are busy cheering on the New York Jets when they’re not at a youth football field.