You probably weren't shocked when you discovered that some forms of professional wrestling are fake. It's a show, it's almost a form of theatre, and this aspect of the sport has been explored in various movies and TV shows, interestingly including an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race. The wrestling on display has been elaborately choreographed, with the ending of the match (as in, who wins) known ahead of time, as is usually the case with scripted entertainment. If your kids love this sort of wrestling and want to take part themselves, you might need to break the news to them that it's not as spontaneous a sport as they might believe. Still, you can nudge them in the direction of traditional wrestling (the non-scripted kind). But why should your son or daughter take up wrestling?
1. Inclusivity
Wrestling is not quite the brutal, take on anyone and everyone style of engagement that your kids might think. Participants are given clearly designated categories in the name of fairness, and these categories are usually based upon your child's age and weight. It's a means of ensuring that a child who might weigh around 40kg, for example, will only wrestle children of comparable age and weight. So no matter your child's age and weight, they will be evenly matched in these departments by their opponent.
2. Self-Discipline
Those weight categories promote inclusiveness, but can also promote discipline. It's possible for a child to go up a category as they age and naturally increase their weight as a part of their physical growth, but this doesn't necessarily happen instantaneously. If your child doesn't maintain an appropriate weight by training and eating healthily, they might no longer be permitted to compete in their category. This is not something that should instil a sense of shame about their body, but instead reiterates the importance of self-discipline.
3. Self Reliance
It's important to learn teamwork, as is the case with many sports. But wrestling is a solo pursuit. While the wrestling coach will be there to encourage your child (as will you), during the match they're completely dependent on themselves. They will learn that to succeed and to do the best job they possibly can (even if they're not the winner), then they need to be as prepared as they can be, and to believe in themselves because it's only going to be themselves facing their opponent.
The sport of wrestling is vastly different from the scripted entertainment version of the sport, and it's actual wrestling that can teach your child some useful lessons and habits.
For more information, reach out to a wrestling coach in your area.