PROVO– A new BYU study says that kids who participate in sports may be more resilient. For the Palmer family, that seems to be no problem. Emilee and Chase Palmer have four boys. With all four boys in sports, the grand total comes to 10 different athletic teams. In the fall, those teams add up to roughly 20 practices a week.
Emilee says that it can get crazy. She says, “With all four of them, it ends up multiplying really quickly; it’s a little bit out of control.” But she says she is grateful and can see how the many values in sports are reflected in her boys’ attitudes towards life.
The study also says the more sports kids participate in, the more resilient they become. Dr. Paul Caldarella, a psychologist and professor at Brigham Young University who lead the study says, “Having a student that is consistently engaging in some kind of sport is beneficial and leads to more positive ratings for resilience.”
So what about sports builds resilience? Dr. Caldarella has few ideas such as teamwork, setbacks and commitments.
Chase says, “Nobody is the same. Everyone’s got different ideas, but you have to work together if you want to win.”
And Emilee says, “It takes failure to become resilient, and to become resilient you need commitment and practice.”
So for the Palmer family, they are right on track at keeping their boys’ schedules filled.
