It also depends on the timing of the activities in the evening. I think sitting down and eating together with the tv off is an important time together. As long as your child keeps up with school work and actually wants to do the activies and you can afford them I think it's fine. Sometimes it's the parents who are doing the pushing into activities and that's wrong.

I think activities/sports help with self esteem. Kids involved with sports are also less likely to do drugs/alcohol.

My oldest is 6 and does dance on Sat morning, gymnastics with my 3 year old on Wed, and swimming lessons twice a week. She told me and dh she wants to do basketball again so I'll sign her up and then take a break from swimming lessons.

You do need to have good organization skills but it can be done. We still eat together, read stories, play outside, etc.

I believe that having your kids involved in sports etc... can be considered family time as well. Moms and Dads coach, watch the sports and support and encourage their children! It is also a way to teach your children about the benefits of exercise and healthy living. My kids are allowed to try pretty much what they want. The only thing is if they sign up for something they have to finish out the session/season. They don't have to sign up for it again, but they made a commitment and have to stick with it. My oldest is on a traveling basketball team and this past weekend we went as a family to Rochester for her tournament. We not only had a great time cheering the team on, we also had some great family time! The girls love that we coach and are involved with them in their sports and activities and they are involved in church activities as well as sports and music lessons. We still have time together that doesn't involve any outside activities.
It is a balance that everyone has to make on their own.

That would be me!! But gosh, honestly what is wrong with running around with your child on the playground? I'm definitely not one to just sit there and watch. If other kids are there and ds wants to play with them, great! But if he wants me to join him, I'm there running around on the playground with him!! I hope he remembers me like that when he's older. I'm 43 and boy it makes me tired sometimes. But I'll remember it forever and I hope he does too!!

I do think that lots of kids (possibly including yours) ARE in too much. I think it's too much when every night of the week and every weekend is busy with some sports or activity. I think there is a huge value in staying at home, finding your own entertainment, and yes, being bored! Staying at home doesn't mean you let the kids sit in front of the TV or video games or computer. Make them do something else. I think by having kids in adult directed activities all the time doesn't allow them to grow and learn how to do things for themselves and, like I said, entertain themselves.

I agree...I think it really depends on the child. One kid may only be able to handle one activity at a time and another kid may be able to handle and want to do several. It just depends. Our kids have had lots of activities at once and then none at all at any particular time. It just depends on what they're interested in, the time of year etc I would definately cut them off if I felt they were not enjoying themselves or their schoolwork was affected. I agree that free time is very important for kids and even when my kids have activities or sports, they also have free time, so it's a balance.

I agree with Montel. Downtime for children is important so that they have the freedom to develop their interests, personalities and creativity. Putting too much structure into their day, inhibits the free thought that is necessary for this to happen.

Overscheduling our children is a symptom of our overall society. As adults, many of us like to stay "busy" because we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if we had free time. Many of us are afraid to be alone with our own thoughts and so we fill our lives with busyness and noise (how many of us have the radio/TV on all day long?).

Of course, exercise and some social activities are great for kids, but doing it on a daily (including weekends) basis is a bit much.

i think there is a fine line with this subject i have seen first hand overscheduled children..i worked in a hair salon for years and at 7:30-7:45 we were busy because these kids had to squeeze in a haircut they would be eating in the lobby waiting there turn and still needed to make it home to do homework...i personally feel homework should come first then activities...don't get me wrong my son 5 this summer is gonna try baseball and continue private swim lessons but in the fall we will stick to one activity wich he chose karate. i did not put my child in soccer and those things at 3 and 4 years old. i personaly feel he just needed to be a kid and explore...every family is different i just don't want my children burnt out by the time they hit highschool my sil is like this she was in every sport at school thru the years and now at 27 is really struggling in life and my inlaws are kicking themselves now but hey hindsight is 20/20 and we all just have to do whats best for our families.

Wow, I thought my dh and I were the only people who thought like that! We agree that people involve their children (often at such a young in age) in just too many activities. My ds is 5 and if he decides in first grade to play soccer or baseball or whatever it may be, he can. But only one thing at a time. I just feel that family time is so important. My ds could be invovled in 5 different activites and still turn to drugs/drinking/bad behavior, if my dh and I don't make ourselves available to him. I will not use these activities as a way of keeping up with the Joneses or as a babysitter or fill-in for myself and my dh. We go to the park, my dh is teaching him soccer and football and how to hit a baseball. If it's just me taking the boys to the park I will run around after them and play, until some kids show up. I don't stress out if they fall down, get dirty etc. I will catch my 20mo at the end of the slide but besides that I am not their social director! My ds doesn't need help making friends at the park. But then I'm not a controlling person. I know a lot of mothers who are and can't accept it when their kids form their own opinions on things. We are not stressing the importance of him picking a sport and drilling it into him. I think a lot of times (it seems like to me anyway) parents don't want to deal directly with their children so they think if they put them in all these activities then they become someone else's responsibility for awhile and gives the parents a break. I just don't believe in that. I only have my boys for such a short time, before they are involved with friends, school work etc. They need to be kids, to be allowed to color outside the lines, to kick a soccer ball and miss the goal, to run around without a care in the world, to have all the down time they need. Their lives will be easy enough when they get older, why create all the chaos for them now? Childhood should be a journey, not a race.

My oldest dd is 6 almost 7 and she BEGGED me to be involved in activities. She is the kind of kid that gets bored very quickly, and she NEEDS the activity. right now we have her signed up for Softball, Soccer, and Girl scouts, she has asked for all of these, I did not push her into any of these. I'm looking forward to this as well, because I enjoy the down time for myself when I'm sitting in my chair watching her practice or her game. We've been fortuante to not have too many things interfere too much with family time, so it works out great.

Ny middle dd isn't really into sports, except for Soccer, but she isn't old enough for spring soccer. She is signed up for girl scouts as well, so both girls go at the same time.

Both girls have asked me to be in the summer rec program so we are looking into that as well. I would HATE for my girls to be bored, sitting around with notheing to do and finding trouble., this will help keep them busy, essp when I have to work.

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~Missy~Mommy
Meghan8.Samantha7,Cameron4