Boys who don't like sports are often marginalized and/or teased by their peer group.

There are specific behaviors in school that suggest a boy is having trouble socially because he avoids sports.

Non-athletic boys need adults to recognize and validate their non-physical traits and talents.

It is important that parents talk about their son's relationship to sports rather than avoid it.

Raising non-sporty boys in a culture that prizes athletic talent in males and rewards competitiveness and power playing is no easy feat. After all, it isn’t long before a young boy recognizes that what really matters at the bus stop and on the playground is how far you can throw, how fast you can run, and how often you win.

Big, strong, athletically gifted boys have always dominated childhood’s social landscape. Their physical presence alone trumps the clout of smaller, quieter boys, but it’s their love of sports and fierce desire to win anything and everything that really jettisons these boys to the top—especially in America, home of the Marlboro Man and eight-figure pro athlete salaries, and where it is assumed that being faster, stronger, louder, or mightier is always going to be better.

All this, however, has created a veritable caste system, leaving many nonathletic boys feeling undervalued and marginalized. While there may not be much we can do about the playground politics surrounding athleticism, there’s a lot we can do in our schools and homes to bolster the self-esteem and confidence of boys whose non-physical talents often go unrecognized and underappreciated.

Helping Your Non-Sporty Son Navigate the Social Challenges of Childhood

One of the most important issues at hand is recognizing when your child might be experiencing problems in his school or among his peers that is related to his not enjoying or participating in........

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