how do you handle weekend sports and parties with 3 kids? I can't seem to make it work.
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Anonymous
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We have 3 elementary aged kids and my youngest is in K.
I'm finding it really hard to have 3 kids involved in any weekend activities because we can't be in 3 places at once. And I don't think we're over-scheduling! My 3 play rec soccer, my eldest plays travel soccer as well and my son also plays little league. Next weekend's schedule (very typical) 10:30am soccer game at Stoddert elementary for kid #1 10:30am soccer game at Trinity University for kid #2 11am birthday party in NW for kid #1 11:30am soccer game at Fort Stevens for kid#3 1pm Little League game in NW for kid #2 1pm Travel soccer game in Boyds, Maryland for kid#3 3pm birthday party in NW DC for kid #2 4:30 birthday party in NW DC for kid #3 This is a completely typical Saturday for us. I feel like every weekend is an elaborate jigsaw puzzle and I do all kids of ride sharing and favor-calling-in to make it work. I'm good friends with a large network of parents but every weekend I feel like I'm saying multiple times, "can you pick up my kid here?" Can I drop off my kid 30 minutes early and you take him/her to the party?" It simply isn't possible to be 3 places at once with 2 parents. The other option is to say no to every birthday party and to further limit the sports but even with REC soccer alone we have a conflict almost every week. For instance, last week we had 3 rec soccer games at 9am at 3 different fields in the city. I couldn't be at Stoddert elementary, Raymond rec center on 10th and Trinity University at the same exact moment. How do other parents of 3 make it work? |
Anonymous
| You say no to some stuff. Parents split up some stuff. You pick and choose participation based on compatibility. And you carpool sometimes. |
Anonymous
| I would just kiss travel sports good bye. I know I will get crap on here but it's bullshit. It's not like most of these kids are going to get scholarships it pro offers. It isn't worth the stress imposed on family time. |
Anonymous
| I think you're over scheduled. Our kids play one sport per season. |
Anonymous
| Does one kid need to do travel soccer and rec? Can't you cut out rec for him? Does your LL baseball kid really want to play soccer? Baseball is a time suck. At least soccer games are less than an hour. Depending on his age, baseball games can be 2 to 2 1/2 hours. |
Anonymous
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Two of the three kids have two activities, right? I do think that's too much with three kids.
I have four. Everyone does one thing. Say no to some of the parties or ask for rides. |
Anonymous
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You get your kid driven to the travel game by another parent. You do the driving for other people whenever you can. That bunch will be helpful, since they really care about attendance and the obligation is big.
You don't have to watch every game. |
Anonymous
Except we thought it was really fun and that rec was not. No judgment here, but at least for us, it was what my kid lived for through middle school. |
Anonymous
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Anonymous
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I have the exact same situation ~ three kids, two in elementary and youngest in kindergarten!
What works? No more than one sport per season. NO TRAVEL SPORTS AT THIS AGE. It's silly. My husband and I both played collegiate sports and we didn't start travel sports in ELEMENTARY school, ridiculous. We say no to some parties. It's okay to say no. We ask for help/carpool/etc and return it in kind. |
Anonymous
One activity for one child at one time. Choose either rec or travel soccer. As for the other stuff, carpooling is your friend. You may need to limit parties if your kids can't find rides. Also, for the three games last week - do you know anyone on any of the teams? It is really simple to ask either the coach or another parent of they can pick up your kid. My kids are 4 and 5 - our rule is that if they both can't participate on the same team, it isn't happening. I am not going to be obligated to pee wee soccer (or whatever) 5-6 days a week. Right now they are in swimming one day a week, and since we are now in the swing of the school year, I *might* add martial arts one night a week. |
Anonymous
| We have one activity per child and say no to some activities/events/birthday parties. We don't do travel sports. Sorry, I can't handle the schedule with my job and DH traveling for work. It's not fair to my other child to get dragged to everything. |
Anonymous
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Cut down to one activity/team for kid.
And could #1 really go to soccer at 10:30, then birthday at 11? Just pick one or the other. |
Anonymous
| With three kids, you can't have any of them in more than one weekend sport. Five games in a single day is crazy, and not good for anyone (even if they're just tagging along from field to field). Each chooses one sport/program, and that's what they do for the season. Those games get priority, and if you have too big a conflict at any point for both parents to handle, ask teammates' parents for help (of course offering to return the favor another week). As birthday party invitations and other events come in, accept them if you have the capacity, and decline if you can't. This is just the reality of having three kids, your kids simply can't do as much as kids with fewer siblings. |
Anonymous
| We have an au pair. We wouldn't hire an AP just for weekends, but with three kids (13, 10, 8) at three schools (middle, HGC, local elementary), 3 different bus/school start times, 1 sport per kid, 2 of which are exclusively weekends, plus music lessons, plus 2 working parents, one of whom travels extensively, we needed the flexibility. Our AP does 3 hours in the morning and 4-5 hours in the afternoons on weekdays, which leaves a good 5+ hours on a weekend. We need an AP to deal with weekday care but the ability to get things done on the weekends is priceless. |