Anyone else struggling with the activity juggle?

[Anonymous]

We are leaving travel sports after this summer. We did it two years (7th and 8th grade) and I personally enjoyed very very little of it. We are lucky that DD can play sports in HS without the need for travel sports.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have both done one (the same) sport exclusively since March 2020 when everything but this one shut down. It's too time consuming to do other sports due to the commitment and cost required for this one. They were in K then, they're in 5th now. I can't fathom spending the time or money on art classes...? But I suppose if my kids were genuinely interested ok. They get art at school though.

Art skills take many hours of practice in order to develop so why can you not fathom the time or money? Art and creativity is one of the main purposes of life as a human.

Um, because I disagree with your statement that it's one of the main purposes of life as a human?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have both done one (the same) sport exclusively since March 2020 when everything but this one shut down. It's too time consuming to do other sports due to the commitment and cost required for this one. They were in K then, they're in 5th now. I can't fathom spending the time or money on art classes...? But I suppose if my kids were genuinely interested ok. They get art at school though.

Art skills take many hours of practice in order to develop so why can you not fathom the time or money? Art and creativity is one of the main purposes of life as a human.

Um, because I disagree with your statement that it's one of the main purposes of life as a human?

Art is what underpins culture. Every culture has art. Art is literally what separates us from animals. Art was a part of human culture long before civilization. Humans cannot survive without art. Oppressed and imprisoned people create art even when they cannot do anything else. To deny that art is one of the core experiences of being a human being is the height of ignorance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have both done one (the same) sport exclusively since March 2020 when everything but this one shut down. It's too time consuming to do other sports due to the commitment and cost required for this one. They were in K then, they're in 5th now. I can't fathom spending the time or money on art classes...? But I suppose if my kids were genuinely interested ok. They get art at school though.

Art skills take many hours of practice in order to develop so why can you not fathom the time or money? Art and creativity is one of the main purposes of life as a human.

Um, because I disagree with your statement that it's one of the main purposes of life as a human?

Art is what underpins culture. Every culture has art. Art is literally what separates us from animals. Art was a part of human culture long before civilization. Humans cannot survive without art. Oppressed and imprisoned people create art even when they cannot do anything else. To deny that art is one of the core experiences of being a human being is the height of ignorance.

Yawn

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have both done one (the same) sport exclusively since March 2020 when everything but this one shut down. It's too time consuming to do other sports due to the commitment and cost required for this one. They were in K then, they're in 5th now. I can't fathom spending the time or money on art classes...? But I suppose if my kids were genuinely interested ok. They get art at school though.

Art skills take many hours of practice in order to develop so why can you not fathom the time or money? Art and creativity is one of the main purposes of life as a human.

Um, because I disagree with your statement that it's one of the main purposes of life as a human?

Art is what underpins culture. Every culture has art. Art is literally what separates us from animals. Art was a part of human culture long before civilization. Humans cannot survive without art. Oppressed and imprisoned people create art even when they cannot do anything else. To deny that art is one of the core experiences of being a human being is the height of ignorance.

You don't have to do art enrichment for any of this to happen - as you implied with the comment about oppressed and imprisoned people. My kids happen to do music lessons, but even if they didn't I suspect 2 out of the 3 of them would be constantly singing. Some of the most creative people I know never did formal art lessons with their kids, but they made sure art was part of family life.

[Anonymous]

Key to juggling activities: Have your kids do the same activities/sports or make sure if they are different, they are geographically close to each other and to your home. No dance or gymnastics. Just don’t do it. You’ll be thankful later

[Anonymous]

We tried lots of different sports and activities when they were younger and they dropped some naturally as time went on. All now (hs and ms age) do a travel sport as their primary interest and other sports as short term activities.

The problem with focusing on one travel sport year round from a young age is what happens when the kid’s interest changes or (worse) gets cut from the team. The kid and family has now lost all those social connections made over the years and has not developed others. Some kids can make a switch fairly easily while others struggle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it’s too much, cut back. Art classes seems like overkill. They do art in school and they can learn a lot from YouTube. Keep piano and one rec sport. More if they are different seasons.

You don’t have to say yes to everything your kid wants to do.

+1 - one sport per season, no club plus music works for us. We will occasionally throw in a theater class or she did a Sunday night lacrosse clinic for eight weeks bc she wants to do it with friends but try to, for all of our sanity, not overbook.