People here who grew up doing all sorts of activities -- how has that helped you in life?

[Anonymous]

I did ALLLL of the things when I was little but around age 10 dropped down to only those activities that I was interested in competitively.

I think a lot of it was because my mom was a SAHM until I was 4ish and she was just trying to fill the time. So I had swim lessons, soccer, tee ball, gymnastics. My mom played tennis so she taught me to play and then put me in tennis camp every summer, and private lessons during middle school (which I wanted to do). My elementary school offered language and music lessons so I took those as well.

This makes us sound wealthy but we weren’t. Genuinely middle class, not DCUM middle class. My parents scrimped so we could do activities. Most of them were the Y or the city rec center. My mom worked at my school part-time so we could attend at a discount.

They definitely weren’t a waste even if it was just entertainment value. I have fond memories of all of them. Physical activity is good for little kids and I’m still very active to this day. I have enough baseline knowledge of some of these things to help my kids learn them too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not agreeing with your premise. No one needs to rot in front of the television.

You do other things. Not every activity you do to enrich your life needs mommy to sign you up and drive you there.

I was being self deprecating. I also did many other things like read, self-taught myself other things, etc. I was very grateful for what my parents could provide. Please don’t take everything you see literally.

[Anonymous]

I played a sport pretty intensely all the way through high school. It gave me something that I cared about and kept me busy and active and fit. It gave me an avenue to set goals and meet them and maybe most importantly, a safe place to fail.

I was a happy (for a teenager, ha) - e.g., non-anxious, reasonably confident, etc. -- kid. I largely (not solely, but largely) credit being involved in this sport for basically good mental health.

[Anonymous]

I was like you. My only real activity was piano. I didn’t play sports. My parents were immigrants and just trying to get by. I did take advantage of many clubs and activities at school when I was in middle and high school. I am not an athlete. I married someone who was like me, also a child of immigrants and parents never signed him up for anything. Unlike me, he is athletic so he played sports in high school. Back then, you could still make sports teams even if you didn’t play sports since elementary.

While I did not do a million activities as a child, I studied hard and have an education. DH and I both attended Ivy grad schools, where we met. We have many hobbies as adults and our children enjoy a life we only dreamed of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those whose parents put them in many activities growing up -- like swimming, music, ballet, sports, etc. -- I'm curious how that's affected your development.

Do you feel like that's made you a more well-rounded person, and if so, how? More extroverted? Adept at picking up more skills and forming connections?

I dabbled in piano when I was younger, but I'm always so jealous to hear about kids who took part in a bunch of activities growing up and didn't just rot in front of the television.

I definitely feel more comfortable and familiar with certain 'activities' even if I sucked at them. Ha! What helped the most with this comfortableness though was summer camp.

[Anonymous]

I did a lot of activities as a kid.

I am not athletic, but do camp, backpack, hike, bike and kayak. Team sports never stuck.

I can generally make anything and fix anything. I'm very comfortable with power tools. My kids have amazing homemade Halloween costumes every year. Our house has custom built ins and other builds. I can throw a pot on a wheel, make a quilt, sew an outfit from a pattern or from my head, screen print a T-shirt, use things found in nature to dye fabric, etc. I can wire a circuit, design and program a custom robot, etc.

I'm also comfortable with music and can play a bit of piano, several brass instruments, flute, clarinet, guitar. Though I can't really sing.

I also have a JD and a PhD in STEM. So lots of comfort with science and math topics. Lots of comfort with civics, history and writing. I have no problem helping my kids with homework. I also read a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did a lot of activities as a kid.

I am not athletic, but do camp, backpack, hike, bike and kayak. Team sports never stuck.

I can generally make anything and fix anything. I'm very comfortable with power tools. My kids have amazing homemade Halloween costumes every year. Our house has custom built ins and other builds. I can throw a pot on a wheel, make a quilt, sew an outfit from a pattern or from my head, screen print a T-shirt, use things found in nature to dye fabric, etc. I can wire a circuit, design and program a custom robot, etc.

I'm also comfortable with music and can play a bit of piano, several brass instruments, flute, clarinet, guitar. Though I can't really sing.

I also have a JD and a PhD in STEM. So lots of comfort with science and math topics. Lots of comfort with civics, history and writing. I have no problem helping my kids with homework. I also read a ton.

Well, damn!

[Anonymous]

I didn’t do sports. I do not connect well with people or know how to deal with children’s sports teams. I did take tennis and as a result was able to take some rec sports very casually. But I am no athlete and to this day I prefer to get my exercise by hiking and walking.

I did mostly music and academic enrichment for activities. I didn’t love music at the time but now cannot see myself without it. I also still love school and studying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have what I consider to be the “rich kid basic sports package” which means I swim well, I play passable tennis and golf, I have skied a few times with lessons, and I can maneuver paddle boats.
It makes vacations more fun. But I do other sports now as an adult so the tennis and golf are mostly wasted.

Yeah, my parents joined one of those pool and tennis clubs when I was young so forced me to take a few summers of swim and tennis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have what I consider to be the “rich kid basic sports package” which means I swim well, I play passable tennis and golf, I have skied a few times with lessons, and I can maneuver paddle boats.
It makes vacations more fun. But I do other sports now as an adult so the tennis and golf are mostly wasted.

Yeah, my parents joined one of those pool and tennis clubs when I was young so forced me to take a few summers of swim and tennis.

Swimming is absolutely a basic life skill.

[Anonymous]

Happy memories of a full childhood.

I did piano in MS/early HS, marching band, soccer, yearbook (which was an EC for us not a class), and a couple theatre things. All are really positive memories of being super involved in my school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those whose parents put them in many activities growing up -- like swimming, music, ballet, sports, etc. -- I'm curious how that's affected your development.

Do you feel like that's made you a more well-rounded person, and if so, how? More extroverted? Adept at picking up more skills and forming connections?

I dabbled in piano when I was younger, but I'm always so jealous to hear about kids who took part in a bunch of activities growing up and didn't just rot in front of the television.

Swimming saved my life when a ferry I was on in Indonesia capsized. Ballet helped me to stand on tip-toes when I attended sporting, musical or artistic events and could not see well. Soccer helped me to kick a grenade away when I was serving in Iraq. So far my violin-playing has not proved useful in any life-threatening situations, but it may just be a matter of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those whose parents put them in many activities growing up -- like swimming, music, ballet, sports, etc. -- I'm curious how that's affected your development.

Do you feel like that's made you a more well-rounded person, and if so, how? More extroverted? Adept at picking up more skills and forming connections?

I dabbled in piano when I was younger, but I'm always so jealous to hear about kids who took part in a bunch of activities growing up and didn't just rot in front of the television.

Swimming saved my life when a ferry I was on in Indonesia capsized. Ballet helped me to stand on tip-toes when I attended sporting, musical or artistic events and could not see well. Soccer helped me to kick a grenade away when I was serving in Iraq. So far my violin-playing has not proved useful in any life-threatening situations, but it may just be a matter of time.

Run, Forest, Run

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have what I consider to be the “rich kid basic sports package” which means I swim well, I play passable tennis and golf, I have skied a few times with lessons, and I can maneuver paddle boats.
It makes vacations more fun. But I do other sports now as an adult so the tennis and golf are mostly wasted.

Yeah, my parents joined one of those pool and tennis clubs when I was young so forced me to take a few summers of swim and tennis.

poor you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn’t do sports. I do not connect well with people or know how to deal with children’s sports teams. I did take tennis and as a result was able to take some rec sports very casually. But I am no athlete and to this day I prefer to get my exercise by hiking and walking.

I did mostly music and academic enrichment for activities. I didn’t love music at the time but now cannot see myself without it. I also still love school and studying.

strangers in the night