If parental encouragement turns to pushing, however, children suffer. They may become overly-focused on performance rather than on enjoying the activity, and may feel devastated when they make mistakes, believing that their parents will not love them if they do not perform well. Or they may rebel, refusing to participate at all because they are overwhelmed by their parent's emotion and afraid that they cannot meet the expectations. If the talent lies in a physical ability, overuse injuries and permanent damage may result from too much practice at too young an age. Several young pitchers have had their athletic careers end in their teens because of degenerative and permanent damage to their joints.
Similar injuries can occur in other sports.
Ongoing pain in a joint or muscle may indicate an overuse injury, and the need for a break from the activity to let the area heal. Children should never compete or practice while they have pain from an injury. If a child's performance in school or other areas of life take a dip, or if the child shows signs of emotional stress, he or she may be pushing too hard. If the primary emphasis is on competition, rather than building skills and exploring new ideas, it's probably not appropriate for children below junior high age. In the long run, says Dr. Hellerstedt, a child's emotional stability or security is not greatly affected by outside activities, positive or negative.