Youth sports and over scheduling

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Not in this day in age anyway. When I was in HS yes, but weren't as busy or had as much homework. And I find it hard to believe that ppl haven't met overscheduled kids who were forced to do activities

I find it hard to believe that kids don't have free time. How much of that is because they're scrolling TikTok while they're supposed to be doing homework? When I was in HS it was just IM-ing other kids instead of doing our work, but same idea. I don't buy that kids have more homework now than they did decades ago, given the insane amount of griping about teachers giving less and less homework in the press and on here.

I don't understand parents wanting their kids to have a ton of homework either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Its all a race to nowhere.

This 🥴

Yes, chasing childhood is an eye opening documentary that all parents should watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Yes, I did not have the same level of homework pressure as kids seem to have today. I also lived in an area where it was a much shorter drive to activities.

[Anonymous]

I wonder what these pro oversceduling parents would do if their kid came to them saying that they felt overscheduled?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we all being honest about what teen boys do with unsupervised free time? Best case, my 13 year old is gaming.

Some kids aren't though. And it's pretty easy to control that. Imo, 13 years still need to be playing outsude with other kids.

I prefer 13 yo boys not be hanging out at the park where I take my toddlers. When I was 13, the boys who had unstructured time to hangout together at the park after school were smoking pot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are we all being honest about what teen boys do with unsupervised free time? Best case, my 13 year old is gaming.

Some kids aren't though. And it's pretty easy to control that. Imo, 13 years still need to be playing outsude with other kids.

I prefer 13 yo boys not be hanging out at the park where I take my toddlers. When I was 13, the boys who had unstructured time to hangout together at the park after school were smoking pot.

That's not all kids though. It happens, yes, but not all kids are going to do this. I'd rather not assume my child will be a trouble maker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what these pro oversceduling parents would do if their kid came to them saying that they felt overscheduled?

I know a handful of parents who this summer are dropping their kids down from a fairly intense soccer program to more relaxed ones because the kids aren't having fun any more.

So plenty of parents would find a different option.

[Anonymous]

If my parents would have overscheduled me because they just assumed that I'd be a trouble maker, I'd be very hurt and angry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what these pro oversceduling parents would do if their kid came to them saying that they felt overscheduled?

My 8 year old kid just came to me and said he wanted to drop one of his activities for next year because he wanted more free time. I said I’m cool with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Even the overscheduled kids have several hours a week. Mine does. The people who are for more unstructured time are arguing for hours every day.

[Anonymous]

I can't imagine starting organized baseball, soccer, or hockey until 11 or 12. If a child waited until then, they would have zero chance of playing any of those sports in our high school sports.

IDK. our kids didn't do a single team sport until 5th grade. DD's first soccer game, ever, she scored the first goal of the game. No travel teams. All kids went on to be on more than one FCPS varsity HS team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder what these pro oversceduling parents would do if their kid came to them saying that they felt overscheduled?

My 8 year old kid just came to me and said he wanted to drop one of his activities for next year because he wanted more free time. I said I’m cool with that.

Yeah I have a talk with my kid at the natural points of the year to figure out what stuff she liked and didn't like, what stuff she wanted to keep, and what stuff she wanted to try. We just had one for the end of the year and we're making changes based on that.

[Anonymous]

We know a girl who is in travel basketball, soccer and flag football and who also swims, runs and does "rec" lacrosse. It's none of my business and maybe she is desperate to do all of these things. But I feel like-- when does she just get to be a kid?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I can't imagine starting organized baseball, soccer, or hockey until 11 or 12. If a child waited until then, they would have zero chance of playing any of those sports in our high school sports.

IDK. our kids didn't do a single team sport until 5th grade. DD's first soccer game, ever, she scored the first goal of the game. No travel teams. All kids went on to be on more than one FCPS varsity HS team.

There isn't a single boy on our high school jv or varsity soccer team who hasn't been playing travel for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't really see kids these days having much different schedules then my friends and I had in the Midwest in the 80s. Year round swim team from a young age, plus several other sports depending on the season or age, an instrument, etc.

I'm in the Midwest and that is what people do today. Competitive swim or hockey/baseball, plus another sport or two each season. Some do an instrument, but nobody calls out families for overdoing sports. Only if the kid is taking an instrument or doing academic enrichment is he "over scheduled." Meanwhile I'm side eying the elementary kid who can't make half his practices due to his "main sport", and when he shows up to games and practices he's a tired mess.

DP, but I do find it interesting that this thread is in the sports forum, but the one study mentioned in the article is about everything kids do after school, including homework. It also found the effects strongest in high school, not younger. It feels like kind of the reverse of your situation (probably cultural in different regions), but I see a lot more overscheduling discourse here around the problems elementary schoolers in travel sports and not high schoolers with too much homework.

(I have neither a high schooler nor a kid in travel sports, so I'm not coming at this from either angle personally)

Kids at every age need and should have free time, they deserve it . I understand wanting to keep high school aged teens out if trouble, and some business is good, but overscheduling is never good.

I don't think I know a single competitive college bound high schooler who isn't overscheduled by those definitions.

You don't know a college bound high schooler who can't scrape together several hours of hangout time with friends every week? Really?

Not in this day in age anyway. When I was in HS yes, but weren't as busy or had as much homework. And I find it hard to believe that ppl haven't met overscheduled kids who were forced to do activities

I find it hard to believe that kids don't have free time. How much of that is because they're scrolling TikTok while they're supposed to be doing homework? When I was in HS it was just IM-ing other kids instead of doing our work, but same idea. I don't buy that kids have more homework now than they did decades ago, given the insane amount of griping about teachers giving less and less homework in the press and on here.

I don't understand parents wanting their kids to have a ton of homework either.

Because I want my kid to learn how to be successful. And part of life is doing work (even if homework seems mindless or redundant). Learning to do work and learning to manage one's schedule at a young age assists down the road. Further, without doing homework, how can you (and the school system) possible know if a student has mastered the material. I'm also not talking about hours and hours but the ten minute per grade up through 6th grade is a good gage of how much homework a child should have.