Less scheduled kids - how are they faring in high school and beyond?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are an average adult who went to an average college, have an average job and your kids attend an average school, your kid is probably doing fine and will continue your average lives. They can also go to an average college, get an average job, marry a fellow average spouse and repeat. This is probably what happens to most people.

This, pretty much. I also find it odd that we as a society drive kids to do, do, do, all this stuff. But we don't do it as adults. Even before becoming consumed with taking our kids to all this stuff, your typical adult goes to work, hangs out with friends, maybe fits in time to go to the gym and keep up a hobby. So by looking at the adults, our kids learn that doing all this stuff is just about the college resume but is to be dropped as soon as possible. Instead, better to do less, encourage exploration, and finding real interests that you can pursue for the rest of your life.

Sorry but adult gymnastics is just a bad idea so I don’t do that anymore. Adults can’t do all the things young children can do, but they can do other things. I run, hike, and go to the gym regularly while dragging my kids on these outings sometimes, to their dismay. They will act like a 2 mile hike is torture. But, they will know that going to the gym and being active is normal for adults. They also see their parents busy with work, taking care of them, keeping up relationships with relatives, running the household, helping with homework, etc. Kids have much more free time to pursue hobbies but the adults aren’t lazy do-nothings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a kid who had no formal EC's and goes to NYU.

This was like me also But I did excellent in school, had a job in HS, and did some volunteering in HS including overseas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know a kid who had no formal EC's and goes to NYU.

His activities were focusing on academics. Sometimes that’s all you need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A and B student doing well. Plays only rugby in high school. He is going to community college first.
Nobody is stressing or stressed.

Is rugby a thing in some high schools? Sounds fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A and B student doing well. Plays only rugby in high school. He is going to community college first.
Nobody is stressing or stressed.

Is rugby a thing in some high schools? Sounds fun.

Most of us want our kids to not go to community college.

[Anonymous]

Two kids. No team sports until 5th grade, then 5th - 8th an occasional sampling of rec soccer, softball/baseball, volleyball, gymnastics. One sport a season. Sometimes nothing. Never more than 2 short practices a week. Never considered travel. 9th grade FCPS began trying out for HS teams. Ended HS on varsity football, wrestling, field hockey, lacrosse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A and B student doing well. Plays only rugby in high school. He is going to community college first.
Nobody is stressing or stressed.

Is rugby a thing in some high schools? Sounds fun.

Most of us want our kids to not go to community college.

Not PP. I would be perfectly content if my kids' path to UVA went through 2 years of community college and then a guaranteed transfer. So much cheaper, though they'd miss out on a lot of college experience that way. Not going to push it, but if they wanted that route or we suddenly hit a financial crunch why not?

[Anonymous]

15:15 again OOS flagships. Never considered sports as significant for college admission - not why it's done. Would not have wanted kids to choose their college based on sports or devote time to a sport in college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:15:15 again OOS flagships. Never considered sports as significant for college admission - not why it's done. Would not have wanted kids to choose their college based on sports or devote time to a sport in college.

Op said activities, not necessarily sports.

Not all kids are athletes.

At the end of the day, the kid is the one who has to be motivated. An athletic kid who starts in middle school could do better than the unathletic kid whose parents shuffled him to practice all through elementary. In normal UMC neighborhoods, kids play sports. It seems all kids at least try. It is good to be with other kids, get exercise and be active.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know a kid who had no formal EC's and goes to NYU.

His activities were focusing on academics. Sometimes that’s all you need.

Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew only did karate after school and some kind of music ensemble (bass) during class in high school, and is at UMD on a full engineering scholarship.

That’s a mediocre kid

Why are there so many arseholes on this site?

[Anonymous]

15:15 again. Each took music lessons too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew only did karate after school and some kind of music ensemble (bass) during class in high school, and is at UMD on a full engineering scholarship.

That’s a mediocre kid

Ok i just presented facts. Better to be a happy, unstressed medicore kid than an unhappy stressed out medicre kid though

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My sister has three older kids. They were not intense about activities (kids did whatever gymnastics, dance, sports classes they wanted after school in elementary school, but my sister and her husband work so each kid did 1-2 things of their choice and they coordinated carpools or did activities on weekends.) as the kids entered middle and high school, they were on athletic teams and academic extracurriculars at their private school.

My oldest niece is a freshman at a top tier college (working hard pre-med), middle sibling is among top of their class in eleventh grade, and youngest is in middle school. They’re well adjusted, kind and hard working kids.

confused by this post. you describe heavily scheduled kids, but you are saying they weren't heavily scheduled? these are not examples of under scheduled children.

+1
carpooling and doing activities on the weekend does not mean you are not "over scheduled". it means the only way to meet your schedule is to use weekends/carpooling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My nephew only did karate after school and some kind of music ensemble (bass) during class in high school, and is at UMD on a full engineering scholarship.

That’s a mediocre kid

Ok i just presented facts. Better to be a happy, unstressed medicore kid than an unhappy stressed out medicre kid though

I posted before that average parents and average kids. This is really most people.

DH and I were super high achievers and 2 of my 3 kids are high achievers. My not try kid will likely be more successful than all of us put together. He plays multiple sports well though so he isn’t just sitting at home.