Well, it is about time. I can't tell you how many times parents have informed me that their children's lives are so busy, they don't have enough time to do their homework or attend religious school, because they have a soccer practice or a gymnastics meet or a little league game.

Believe me, I understand the dilemma. Parents, particularly Jewish parents, want to give their kids everything. We don't want to deprive our children of all that society has to offer in the way of sports, enrichment classes, travel opportunities, etc. We want our kids to be balanced and well-rounded. We know that a long "brag sheet" of activities will play well when college application time rolls around. And, we want our children to be happy.

From my vantage point, religious school often loses out to these activities, particularly sports activities. Parents are very willing to pull their kids out of class early, or out of a session altogether, if religious school conflicts with a practice or a game. Would a parent pickup his/her child early from a math class or an English class to attend a dance recital or an All-Star Little League game? Of course not. But miss religious school? Sure, thatıs okay.

What parents often fail to realize is that when their children go home early or don't attend religious school class at all, they are sending the message that religious school, and ultimately Judaism itself, is less important than sports practice. Do parents really believe this? I hope not, but I am unsure.

Let's take a look at youth sports. Aside from the skills of the particular activity, what else do our kids learn from these sports? Sportsmanship, getting along with others, teamwork, competition. These are good values, no doubt, but they only go so far. I am often reminded of Hall of Fame football coach Vince Lombardi's words: Winning isn't everything, it is the only thing. Are the people who are coaching/instructing these events as interested in promoting sportsmanship as they are winning games and events? I believe the answer can certainly be debated.

The horrible attack and murder of a parent-referee by another parent at a youth hockey game underscores what can happen when parents become utterly obsessed with their children's participation in these events. This is an extreme example, of course, but unfortunately abuse of coaches and referees has become commonplace in the youth sports environment.

If we want to raise our children to be decent and ethical Jews, they will learn these values in a religious environment. If we want to raise our children to develop a cross-over dribble, a slap shot, or a floor routine, then they will develop these skills in sports classes.