How do kids have time for multiple activities???

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So here is how it breaks down for us. Daughter gets home at 3pm. 3-3:30: chill. 3:30-4:15: Homework, then get ready to go to practice. 4:30-7:15 2+ hour practice plus commute time (10 minutes each way plus some time to chat with friends after). 7:15 to 7:40 ish - change, shower, eat. 7:40 - 8:30: finish HW. And then wind down for the night. Really no extra time. To respond to PP: My question is aimed at those who DO multiple activities, not those who do not.

I think with the every night multiple hour sport, there’s no way. We have that some nights but not every night.

Why is your 7th grader spending THAT much time on homework??

Can't you give her some extra chill time at the end of the night. Instead of lights out at 830, like you have listed, how about push it to 9pm?

For you, I think you just need to accept that X and Y days, you guys are going to be "busy" so just mentally prep for it knowing there isn't much down time those days. It's a good life lesson too. [/quo


Because if kid is in private school, there is a lot of homework!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So here is how it breaks down for us. Daughter gets home at 3pm. 3-3:30: chill. 3:30-4:15: Homework, then get ready to go to practice. 4:30-7:15 2+ hour practice plus commute time (10 minutes each way plus some time to chat with friends after). 7:15 to 7:40 ish - change, shower, eat. 7:40 - 8:30: finish HW. And then wind down for the night. Really no extra time. To respond to PP: My question is aimed at those who DO multiple activities, not those who do not.

I think with the every night multiple hour sport, there’s no way. We have that some nights but not every night.

Yes, I was going to say the same. My kids do multiple things: instrument, theatre, dance, tennis + occasional math competitions. There's no way we could do most of that w/ an every day sport. The theatre can be intense, but comes in cycles. They do pro -theatre, which is very intense for a month or two, but never more than 1 production a year. School theatre is 2-3 days after school and not super long. Again, only 1 production a year. Instrument lessons are once a week. Time commitment depends on practice level. Oldest is devoting a lot of time, youngest not so much. Dance once or twice a week, but not during a pro theatre production. Tennis is super relaxed and cheap and at school. So if she has to miss it, no big woop.

So, for us, it's a balancing act. If one activity is intense, the others give. But, with an every-day sport commitment, you can't do that. If your kid loves the sport, there's nothing wrong with that!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So here is how it breaks down for us. Daughter gets home at 3pm. 3-3:30: chill. 3:30-4:15: Homework, then get ready to go to practice. 4:30-7:15 2+ hour practice plus commute time (10 minutes each way plus some time to chat with friends after). 7:15 to 7:40 ish - change, shower, eat. 7:40 - 8:30: finish HW. And then wind down for the night. Really no extra time. To respond to PP: My question is aimed at those who DO multiple activities, not those who do not.

I think with the every night multiple hour sport, there’s no way. We have that some nights but not every night.

Yes, I was going to say the same. My kids do multiple things: instrument, theatre, dance, tennis + occasional math competitions. There's no way we could do most of that w/ an every day sport. The theatre can be intense, but comes in cycles. They do pro -theatre, which is very intense for a month or two, but never more than 1 production a year. School theatre is 2-3 days after school and not super long. Again, only 1 production a year. Instrument lessons are once a week. Time commitment depends on practice level. Oldest is devoting a lot of time, youngest not so much. Dance once or twice a week, but not during a pro theatre production. Tennis is super relaxed and cheap and at school. So if she has to miss it, no big woop.

So, for us, it's a balancing act. If one activity is intense, the others give. But, with an every-day sport commitment, you can't do that. If your kid loves the sport, there's nothing wrong with that!

NP. I love to read this, because it sounds like what I hope for my kids when they reach middle school. I was concerned with all the posts about narrowing down activities to 1 sport 5x/week when kids turned 9.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So here is how it breaks down for us. Daughter gets home at 3pm. 3-3:30: chill. 3:30-4:15: Homework, then get ready to go to practice. 4:30-7:15 2+ hour practice plus commute time (10 minutes each way plus some time to chat with friends after). 7:15 to 7:40 ish - change, shower, eat. 7:40 - 8:30: finish HW. And then wind down for the night. Really no extra time. To respond to PP: My question is aimed at those who DO multiple activities, not those who do not.

I think with the every night multiple hour sport, there’s no way. We have that some nights but not every night.

Yes, I was going to say the same. My kids do multiple things: instrument, theatre, dance, tennis + occasional math competitions. There's no way we could do most of that w/ an every day sport. The theatre can be intense, but comes in cycles. They do pro -theatre, which is very intense for a month or two, but never more than 1 production a year. School theatre is 2-3 days after school and not super long. Again, only 1 production a year. Instrument lessons are once a week. Time commitment depends on practice level. Oldest is devoting a lot of time, youngest not so much. Dance once or twice a week, but not during a pro theatre production. Tennis is super relaxed and cheap and at school. So if she has to miss it, no big woop.

So, for us, it's a balancing act. If one activity is intense, the others give. But, with an every-day sport commitment, you can't do that. If your kid loves the sport, there's nothing wrong with that!

NP. I love to read this, because it sounds like what I hope for my kids when they reach middle school. I was concerned with all the posts about narrowing down activities to 1 sport 5x/week when kids turned 9.

Same PP adding: OP, does your kid really only get 25 minutes at night to shower and have dinner? I really don't get the value of intense sports at all. But I guess other people don't get the value of daily instrument practice if the kid isn't a prodigy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So here is how it breaks down for us. Daughter gets home at 3pm. 3-3:30: chill. 3:30-4:15: Homework, then get ready to go to practice. 4:30-7:15 2+ hour practice plus commute time (10 minutes each way plus some time to chat with friends after). 7:15 to 7:40 ish - change, shower, eat. 7:40 - 8:30: finish HW. And then wind down for the night. Really no extra time. To respond to PP: My question is aimed at those who DO multiple activities, not those who do not.

I think with the every night multiple hour sport, there’s no way. We have that some nights but not every night.

Yes, I was going to say the same. My kids do multiple things: instrument, theatre, dance, tennis + occasional math competitions. There's no way we could do most of that w/ an every day sport. The theatre can be intense, but comes in cycles. They do pro -theatre, which is very intense for a month or two, but never more than 1 production a year. School theatre is 2-3 days after school and not super long. Again, only 1 production a year. Instrument lessons are once a week. Time commitment depends on practice level. Oldest is devoting a lot of time, youngest not so much. Dance once or twice a week, but not during a pro theatre production. Tennis is super relaxed and cheap and at school. So if she has to miss it, no big woop.

So, for us, it's a balancing act. If one activity is intense, the others give. But, with an every-day sport commitment, you can't do that. If your kid loves the sport, there's nothing wrong with that!

NP. I love to read this, because it sounds like what I hope for my kids when they reach middle school. I was concerned with all the posts about narrowing down activities to 1 sport 5x/week when kids turned 9.

Aww, thanks! Sometimes I wish my kids were sportier, but I just could never do those schedules and try to include all the other things they'd like to do. Even w/ theatre, they are doing less b/c school is getting more intense (oldest is in HS now), we are not able to commit the hours to auditions and commutes and some theatres' schedules. So it goes. They've had some great experiences, and we constantly reevaluate what is interesting and doable and can fit in with school.

[Anonymous]

I think one sport that takes up two hours every day is a lot. Maybe you are comparing this to kids who do multiple things but all are once a week.