re: Would you let your kid play football, box, or race dirt bikes ?

Damn straight

Already does, would if he wanted, already does

I raced dirtbikes along with my kid, starting around age 8 til he was around 13. Gave it up shortly after he was making the transition to 85cc bikes and was starting to surpass the 30-40 foot range on jumps. The last night he raced, there were around 100 kids at the track and 6 left with broken bones. That night I said "we're done." Also had around 3 kids paralyzed during the time we rode, though we only witnessed 1 personally (on the smallest jump on the track).

ETA: Easily one of the most fun things there is. I raced until injuries kept me from riding anymore. I didn't mind the injuries and would have kept riding if I could, but it's hard to watch your kid get injured.

It's not your job as parents to pick and choose what your son's or daughter's passion is. I don't have children and hopefully won't for a long time, but my parents took the approach that if we wanted to try a sport out, they would fully back us and support us. But there would be no quitting midway through.

Now, that isn't to say if my son decided he wanted to do something like cheerleading that I wouldn't make fun of him about it depending on his age.

With a daughter I think there might be a different approach. I would support my daughter doing something like softball but I wouldn't like it. Softball in NLA and softball parents are pretty trashy, or they were when I was growing up and a lot, like 95% of the girls that played softball st my high school are lesbian now and are the absolute trashiest of the trashy in Bossier Parish.

But hey, if that's what she would want to do, I guess I'd have to suck it up.

Moral of the story, let your children figure out what they're interested in.

Kinda weird since we're on a message board that is about predominantly college football.

My son plays football and races dirt bikes. He's had more injuries in baseball than the other two combined.

I don't want any harm or long lasting injuries for him but you've got to let them live their life and make their own choices (for the most part).

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Still sad because football teaches a ton of like lessons that aren't learned playing Xbox over the summer.

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Let's not act like this is play football or play xbox question. You can learn any of these life lessons playing a team sport that isn't football.

Judo and tai chi.
Limited aikido. No sparring with karate attackers, just learn moves, hit heavy bag.
You can do tai chi when you are 93.

Swim. Great exercise and you can do when you are 90.

Dance. Arthur Murray ie structured ballroom, fox trot, samba, waltz. Dance is great exercise and you can do ballroom when you are 60.
Useful in social settings, weddings and taking the wife out.