When I was a kid, youth sports felt like a giant fitting room. Stay with me here in the analogy. You could try out this sport, give that one a spin, and figure out what fits – no pressure, no big investment.

It wasn’t expected for anyone to specialize, really, until high school, and even then, I could be first or second chair in symphonic band and a varsity soccer starter. Somehow, these two activities happily coexisted: band competitions, soccer tournaments, and I did well in school and had a social life. Balance.

Enter my daughter in seventh grade, now starting to play premier soccer. The demands are absurd. Three practices a week. Weekend tournaments across state lines. And this is not even the top travel division. The cost? Expensive doesn’t begin to cover it. And schedule? A parent’

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