Youth sports and over scheduling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

They also have a lot of free time during travel sports tournaments to do fun things like cause a ruckus at the hotel pool, play knee hockey for hours in a hotel conference room with their buddies, go to a professional sports game together in the evening, and eat meals together. The kids typically have a fantastic time. I'd rather be at the spa or on a hike though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

They also have a lot of free time during travel sports tournaments to do fun things like cause a ruckus at the hotel pool, play knee hockey for hours in a hotel conference room with their buddies, go to a professional sports game together in the evening, and eat meals together. The kids typically have a fantastic time. I'd rather be at the spa or on a hike though.

I don't think that free time isn't the same though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Not in this day in age anyway. When I was in HS yes, but weren't as busy or had as much homework. And I find it hard to believe that ppl haven't met overscheduled kids who were forced to do activities

I find it hard to believe that kids don't have free time. How much of that is because they're scrolling TikTok while they're supposed to be doing homework? When I was in HS it was just IM-ing other kids instead of doing our work, but same idea. I don't buy that kids have more homework now than they did decades ago, given the insane amount of griping about teachers giving less and less homework in the press and on here.

I don't understand parents wanting their kids to have a ton of homework either.

Because I want my kid to learn how to be successful. And part of life is doing work (even if homework seems mindless or redundant). Learning to do work and learning to manage one's schedule at a young age assists down the road. Further, without doing homework, how can you (and the school system) possible know if a student has mastered the material. I'm also not talking about hours and hours but the ten minute per grade up through 6th grade is a good gage of how much homework a child should have.

Homework does not equal success in life though. Adults don't have homework.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

They also have a lot of free time during travel sports tournaments to do fun things like cause a ruckus at the hotel pool, play knee hockey for hours in a hotel conference room with their buddies, go to a professional sports game together in the evening, and eat meals together. The kids typically have a fantastic time. I'd rather be at the spa or on a hike though.

I don't think that free time isn't the same though.

Some of it is (setting their own agenda at the hotel pool isn't really different than setting their own agenda at the neighborhood pool) and some of it isn't (seeing a pro sports game as a team).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

They also have a lot of free time during travel sports tournaments to do fun things like cause a ruckus at the hotel pool, play knee hockey for hours in a hotel conference room with their buddies, go to a professional sports game together in the evening, and eat meals together. The kids typically have a fantastic time. I'd rather be at the spa or on a hike though.

I don't think that free time isn't the same though.

It's true - with parents in the vicinity, they don't have unstructured time to access porn, do drugs, play violent video games, bully kids online, or hook up with each other (with potentially no access to abortion or birth control without parental consent, depending on where you live). Some people either don't have teenagers yet, have their heads in the sand, or they've just raised superhumans immune to peer pressure who would never exercise teenage judgment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

They also have a lot of free time during travel sports tournaments to do fun things like cause a ruckus at the hotel pool, play knee hockey for hours in a hotel conference room with their buddies, go to a professional sports game together in the evening, and eat meals together. The kids typically have a fantastic time. I'd rather be at the spa or on a hike though.

I don't think that free time isn't the same though.

It's true - with parents in the vicinity, they don't have unstructured time to access porn, do drugs, play violent video games, bully kids online, or hook up with each other (with potentially no access to abortion or birth control without parental consent, depending on where you live). Some people either don't have teenagers yet, have their heads in the sand, or they've just raised superhumans immune to peer pressure who would never exercise teenage judgment.

When did I say teens were immune to all of those things? All I said that notcall teebs are confronted by those things or will do those things. Go ahead and think what you want, but not all teens are like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may be hard to define overscheduling, but no one can really give an answer as to why kids being so busy is a good thing

Because they are perusing passions and they love it.

The problem is (and the article discussed this)… you see my very happy successful “over scheduled “ child getting into a better school then you push your child to do the same and there is the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are we all being honest about what teen boys do with unsupervised free time? Best case, my 13 year old is gaming.

Mine built an illegal fort on park land…woops

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one here has said that activities are, just don't overschedule. And I'm seeing alot of "but my kids wants, it likes it." That doesn't mean you have to allow it.

Yes you can allow it if they like it, but just because my child is thriving don’t feel pressure to do the same to your kid

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what these pro oversceduling parents would do if their kid came to them saying that they felt overscheduled?

I check in with them constantly to see if they want to drop something and I let them drop their instrument and marching band to be more intense with their sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we all being honest about what teen boys do with unsupervised free time? Best case, my 13 year old is gaming.

Mine built an illegal fort on park land…woops

Mine does those things when we go camping as a family in the summer and leave all electronics at home. I love it. When he's home on a Sunday (mandated rest day), his buddies are constantly bugging him to play Fortnite (hate), or he's into trouble on the internet when I'm not looking (key logger). He's a great kid, but he's also a curious teenage boy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a girl who is in travel basketball, soccer and flag football and who also swims, runs and does "rec" lacrosse. It's none of my business and maybe she is desperate to do all of these things. But I feel like-- when does she just get to be a kid?!

Is she playing all those sports with adults?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Not in this day in age anyway. When I was in HS yes, but weren't as busy or had as much homework. And I find it hard to believe that ppl haven't met overscheduled kids who were forced to do activities

I find it hard to believe that kids don't have free time. How much of that is because they're scrolling TikTok while they're supposed to be doing homework? When I was in HS it was just IM-ing other kids instead of doing our work, but same idea. I don't buy that kids have more homework now than they did decades ago, given the insane amount of griping about teachers giving less and less homework in the press and on here.

I don't understand parents wanting their kids to have a ton of homework either.

Because I want my kid to learn how to be successful. And part of life is doing work (even if homework seems mindless or redundant). Learning to do work and learning to manage one's schedule at a young age assists down the road. Further, without doing homework, how can you (and the school system) possible know if a student has mastered the material. I'm also not talking about hours and hours but the ten minute per grade up through 6th grade is a good gage of how much homework a child should have.

My child didn’t do any honors or APs and did fine at a T30 college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

They also have a lot of free time during travel sports tournaments to do fun things like cause a ruckus at the hotel pool, play knee hockey for hours in a hotel conference room with their buddies, go to a professional sports game together in the evening, and eat meals together. The kids typically have a fantastic time. I'd rather be at the spa or on a hike though.

I don't think that free time isn't the same though.

Why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We know a girl who is in travel basketball, soccer and flag football and who also swims, runs and does "rec" lacrosse. It's none of my business and maybe she is desperate to do all of these things. But I feel like-- when does she just get to be a kid?!

Is she playing all those sports with adults?

Organized, supervised play isn't the same.