I was one of "those" parents who entered their 6 and under wrestler in the 8 and under sub-districts. He won sub-district and districts then went 0-2 in the State tournament. Yes, he cried a little bit after his losses but I saw much worse behavior out of 10-12-14 and even 16 year olds who threw temper tantrums on the mat.

Did we yell at him when he lost - no - we bought him Dippin' Dots. Within about an hour he had found a piece of cardboard and was "grassboarding" down the hill outside.

I have witnessed parents who yell at their 6 year olds, have seen them drop their kids down a weight class, etc., and I don't claim that those parents aren't out there. But please don't lump all of us into one group of crazy parents who want to live through our kids and think that our kid is the next Olympic wrestler. My 6 year old got into wrestling so early because he has been around it so long watching his brother wrestle. He wants to enter the tournaments that his brother is in - he might as well wrestle because he has to be there anyway. Would I have taken him to State if his older brother wasn't going - probably not. But no harm was done.

What is good for one 6 year old may not be good for another. It all depends on the kid. My kid handled himself pretty well, finished a terrific wrestling season and is going to baseball practice on Monday. But maybe we should consider moving to Colorado - he could possibly become the next snowboard champion!