What is overscheduled?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overscheduling threads are wild. I'm participating in one on the sports forum. Alot of ppl don't acknowledge it as a real thing

I think almost everyone agrees that overscheduling is by definition bad. However, the threshold for overscheduling is highly subjective. The folks on the sports board trying to impose their definition of overscheduling on every family are quite comical.

I’d like to know where people draw the line. An activity per week day? Never having two activities on one day? Certain number of hours per week?

Two activities at a time max. Kids, imo don't have enough free time. For me personally, no travel anything.

For me it will never be two at a time because he has cultural school on Saturdays, and then add a sport and music.

Oh it's different for everyone, I'm not saying I'd prefer two at a time, but that would be my limit.

[Anonymous]

I'm not a huge believer in busy kids/teens so I'd want to make sure they have free time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a huge believer in busy kids/teens so I'd want to make sure they have free time.

How much?

Even adults who work 96 hours a week have some amount of "free time."

How much is enough for your kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a huge believer in busy kids/teens so I'd want to make sure they have free time.

How much?

Even adults who work 96 hours a week have some amount of "free time."

How much is enough for your kids?

I don't know am exact amount, but my kids don't like being busy, neither did I as a kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overscheduling threads are wild. I'm participating in one on the sports forum. Alot of ppl don't acknowledge it as a real thing

I think almost everyone agrees that overscheduling is by definition bad. However, the threshold for overscheduling is highly subjective. The folks on the sports board trying to impose their definition of overscheduling on every family are quite comical.

I’d like to know where people draw the line. An activity per week day? Never having two activities on one day? Certain number of hours per week?

We look at the number of days per week where we do something. Aim for three-four days a week with nothing scheduled. We've never tried more than one activity on a day, outside, of an occasional exception (a sports lesson the same day as a recital, for instance), and I'd push back on that. Nothing where we're missing a lot of the games/practices for something else. That's what works for us, but I think these conversations generate more heat than light. "Overscheduling" is a real thing, but it's also a handy, hazily defined cudgel to hit other parents with when they parent in a way you don't, and people like those.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overscheduling threads are wild. I'm participating in one on the sports forum. Alot of ppl don't acknowledge it as a real thing

I think almost everyone agrees that overscheduling is by definition bad. However, the threshold for overscheduling is highly subjective. The folks on the sports board trying to impose their definition of overscheduling on every family are quite comical.

I’d like to know where people draw the line. An activity per week day? Never having two activities on one day? Certain number of hours per week?

We look at the number of days per week where we do something. Aim for three-four days a week with nothing scheduled. We've never tried more than one activity on a day, outside, of an occasional exception (a sports lesson the same day as a recital, for instance), and I'd push back on that. Nothing where we're missing a lot of the games/practices for something else. That's what works for us, but I think these conversations generate more heat than light. "Overscheduling" is a real thing, but it's also a handy, hazily defined cudgel to hit other parents with when they parent in a way you don't, and people like those.

The bolded is perfectly said.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't seem like too much to me. Busy kids have less time for trouble! Signs of too much would be constant complaining, never has time to be bored and self entertain, not getting enough sleep, anxiety

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't seem like too much to me. Busy kids have less time for trouble! Signs of too much would be constant complaining, never has time to be bored and self entertain, not getting enough sleep, anxiety

I don't agree with the trouble premise. First of all, not all kids are going to do those things. And then, overscheduling may make it harder for them to get into trouble, but not impossible. It doesn't take away a kids desire or curiosity for troublesome behavior.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There used to be this family that showed up at Saturday Suzuki violin class and their kids were in karate uniforms. If you don't have time to change your clothes before class, and or you have to go directly from one event to another, you're overscheduled. If you eat frequently meals in the car, overscheduled. If you as a parent fall asleep in the stands while watching practices, overscheduled. The year I got the electric blanket you could plug into the car so you could keep warm while hanging out the parking lot while a kid had an activity was memorable. In retrospect that should have been a sign.

Uh oh, mine will be going to suzuki in his t-ball uniform.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Doesn't seem like too much to me. Busy kids have less time for trouble! Signs of too much would be constant complaining, never has time to be bored and self entertain, not getting enough sleep, anxiety

I don't agree with the trouble premise. First of all, not all kids are going to do those things. And then, overscheduling may make it harder for them to get into trouble, but not impossible. It doesn't take away a kids desire or curiosity for troublesome behavior.

Look up how Iceland solved its teen drinking problem

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There used to be this family that showed up at Saturday Suzuki violin class and their kids were in karate uniforms. If you don't have time to change your clothes before class, and or you have to go directly from one event to another, you're overscheduled. If you eat frequently meals in the car, overscheduled. If you as a parent fall asleep in the stands while watching practices, overscheduled. The year I got the electric blanket you could plug into the car so you could keep warm while hanging out the parking lot while a kid had an activity was memorable. In retrospect that should have been a sign.

Uh oh, mine will be going to suzuki in his t-ball uniform.

We have gone to music lessons wearing swim trunks and a regular shirt because of a 30 minute swim lesson right after! Swim was for safety though, not competitive /extracurricular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Overscheduling threads are wild. I'm participating in one on the sports forum. Alot of ppl don't acknowledge it as a real thing

I think almost everyone agrees that overscheduling is by definition bad. However, the threshold for overscheduling is highly subjective. The folks on the sports board trying to impose their definition of overscheduling on every family are quite comical.

I’d like to know where people draw the line. An activity per week day? Never having two activities on one day? Certain number of hours per week?

Two activities at a time max. Kids, imo don't have enough free time. For me personally, no travel anything.

For me it will never be two at a time because he has cultural school on Saturdays, and then add a sport and music.

I would count that as four, the activity, cultural school, sport and music = 4

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a huge believer in busy kids/teens so I'd want to make sure they have free time.

How much?

Even adults who work 96 hours a week have some amount of "free time."

How much is enough for your kids?

This really depends on whether your kid is an extrovert or introvert. My extrovert loves being "over scheduled"

Pretty much the moment we step indoors, "What can I dooo?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a huge believer in busy kids/teens so I'd want to make sure they have free time.

How much?

Even adults who work 96 hours a week have some amount of "free time."

How much is enough for your kids?

This really depends on whether your kid is an extrovert or introvert. My extrovert loves being "over scheduled"

Pretty much the moment we step indoors, "What can I dooo?"

My introvert likes being busy, too but prefers individual sports and music lessons/practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a huge believer in busy kids/teens so I'd want to make sure they have free time.

How much?

Even adults who work 96 hours a week have some amount of "free time."

How much is enough for your kids?

This really depends on whether your kid is an extrovert or introvert. My extrovert loves being "over scheduled"

Pretty much the moment we step indoors, "What can I dooo?"

But I wonder if a kid like that has an even greater need for free time to be bored and figure out how to conduct and entertain himself?