I choose to think of my kid first and foremost as a KID, secondly as a baseball player. Silly me!
Not really sure what this comment is supposed to mean when it comes to this issue. Are you suggesting that people who worry about overuse injuries in kids are seeing their kids primarily as baseball players rather than as kids. If so, I don't really follow your logic. Actually, it seems to me the other way around. Putting limits on a kid, for the kid's own sake, especially when the kid is brimming with enthusiasm, but lacks mature judgment and experience, is what you do when you see the kid as a kid first and foremost.
To recap, Al Pal stated that "we didn't allow our LHP son to play year round ball until sophomore yr in HS" ...the key word being PLAY. We can ALL go overboard with protecting arms in case the kid can make it to the next level or we can use common sense, try to go by pitch smart guidelines, and let the kids be kids. I will not stop my son from being on a baseball team at age 11/12/13 year round with his buddies because he loves the game.
My son pitches, but he doesn't want to ever be a PO. He has played on a year long travel team from age 9 to his current almost 13, once again the team is together for a year, but they do not play all year, and not to tempt fate here but he has not had any medical issues. If and when he does, because I do acknowledge that all athletes get hurt at some point, I will evaluate then where to go from there. Until then, he is a KID first who loves to PLAY baseball, and I will not say "You can't be on a year round team because there is the possibility of you hurting your arm."
I want to let my kid be a KID first and a ball player second. My number one priority is to keep him healthy because he is my child, not keep his arm healthy because he is a pitcher.