Hi friends,
I want to start an interesting discussion aimed towards psychological effects on a child involved in sport.
Our daughter, just like me, is a Thal minor. She is almost 9 yo and is in competition sport (swimming). She does very well for her age and is ranked in the top 20 in the state for her age group.
We found out recently that she is a Thal minor and it all started to make sense why she has been getting tired after long training schedules.
By following certain advice from this forum and managing her training schedule better, we have made good improvements in her performance overall.
We realise of course that she is somewhat disadvantaged in endurance aspects due to the genetic issue of Thal. At some stage we will need to inform and educate her on all aspects of Thal minor and what it means for her sport.
And the question to you all is what do you think is the right time/age to tell a child about her or his condition?
For example, at her age, will the news turn her away from the sport? Will she start to think that “what is the point, I will never make it to the top because of Thal� Or will she be strong enough to say “I will be the best regardless and make the necessary adjustment to get the results. (A bit like Pete Sampras).
So when would you tell your child?
Interested to hear everyone’s thoughts.
Cheers - Sofie