Football – and all sports – should be fun for young athletes. Sometimes, for one reason or another, kids stop having fun.

Look for changes in your child’s behavior and attitude, mood and physical signs and/or symptoms. Here’s a list of ways parents can tell if their sons or daughters aren’t enjoying the sport anymore.

Behaviors and attitude

• Making make excuses for not wanting to go to practice
• Hesitant to discuss football
• Withdrawing or isolating from friends and/or teammates
• Not wanting to attend team functions
• Showing indifference to their sport and games
• Appear to be “just going through the motions”
• Negative statements about coaches, teammates or football in general

Mood

• High levels of stress
• Anxious or depressed
• May be more noticeable before and after practices

Symptoms of changes in mood to look for

• Difficulty sleeping
• Decreased energy
• Changes in appetite
• Difficulty focusing/concentrating
• Irritability
• Physically
• Increased prevalence of injuries
• Becoming sick often
• Decrease in performance or lack of progress
• Increased focus on pain and/or sore muscles
• Higher levels of fatigue
• Headaches, stomach aches and other recurring pains may be indicators of high stress levels

These things alone don’t necessarily mean your child is no longer enjoying his or her sport and can be signs of other stressors, pressures or challenges in his or her life. It is important to further communicate with your child if you notice any of these indicators so you can accurately assess their feelings. Open communication with your child is crucial in determining why any behavioral, mood or physical changes have taken place. 

Dr. Chris Carr is the sport and performance psychologist and coordinator for sport and performance psychology at St. Vincent Sports Performance in Indianapolis. He is the team performance psychologist for the Indiana Pacers and the Indiana Fever and a consulting sport psychologist for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Purdue University athletics.