How do you balance all the various activities?

[Anonymous]

As my kids are progressing in their extra curricular activities, the time commitment is increasing and I am finding it very hard not to have schedule conflicts. One enjoys both dance and softball. It was impossible for her not to miss at least a couple of dance classes/games during the spring. I see kids in multiple sports, and other ECs. I feel like she is too young to just pick one thing. As she gets older, will it be frowned upon to not be able to commit 100%? How do you do it DCUM?

[Anonymous]

How old? I find in most cases it isn’t an issue until around 12, BUT it depends on the particular team (rec, travel?) and just how much overlap there will be. We have never had many issues with missing rec sports (in moderation) but my kids do not miss club/travel sports unless they are ill or have a school function (or sometimes a family vacation but we let them know very far in advance and try to plan around travel sports).

[Anonymous]

Following. My DS wants to focus on basketball but he is a great soccer player too. But a kid cannot do 2 travel/select sports in the same season without having to skip games or practices, and yes travel coaches expect your loyalty to that sport, mandatory practices. And many sports are becoming almost year round (certainly basketball).

[Anonymous]

Our family is most important. A child's commitment to an activity can not happen if it results in an unreasonable obligation for the family. Each view on what's reasonable vs unreasonable, obviously, is family specific.

I never feel guilty saying "no" in favor of family time.

[Anonymous]

My kids have always had a preferred “primary” activity that we scheduled things around and wasn’t ever missed, along with whatever secondary activities they were into at the moment that we didn’t feel bad about skipping (but never a team sport). The only exception is music lessons but those are usually easy enough to switch around from year to year. We don’t do multiple sports in the same season unless 1 is a team and the other a once a week clinic.

[Anonymous]

We don’t miss my DC’s most important year round club sport, but would miss two rec sport games once in a while if there is a conflict. It’s getting more and more difficult though to manage. We reevaluate every season.

[Anonymous]

My kids occasionally have to miss something due to conflicts and IME they’re not the only ones.

Eventually they’ll have to pick one to focus on but I’m not sure when that is. Maybe ideally not before HS. I guess you have to know your coaches / team to know whether it’s ok to miss occasionally. I do have one kid who could probably do travel baseball if we wanted but he doesn’t do it yet.

I kind of feel like you’re damned if you do & damned if you don’t in this day and day. Though probably the best athletes probably still don’t need to be hothoused at such a young age in most sports.

[Anonymous]

No sports that regularly meet more than twice a week until middle school, at which point they can do one sport per school season, some of which meet every day. So far, kids are ending up very well rounded with less today of overuse injuries. They also do scouts.

[Anonymous]

Dance dance dance and dance. Did I mention how much I love dance for scheduling ease? I can count on classes being roughly the same day and time for years. No weather issues except for the rare ice storm. No rescheduled games. No sitting in a gnat infested field. I can go pick up groceries or get something done. I don't have to sit there just in case of a storm or something. Dance is my favorite. Swim is almost as good for the same reasons. Swim loses points for summer swim meet weather issues.

I can schedule with ease when the activity is consistent. Soccer and baseball are the worst for this stuff.

Music lessons are good schedule wise but not exercise based.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Following. My DS wants to focus on basketball but he is a great soccer player too. But a kid cannot do 2 travel/select sports in the same season without having to skip games or practices, and yes travel coaches expect your loyalty to that sport, mandatory practices. And many sports are becoming almost year round (certainly basketball).

Mine does. There has only been one conflict in the last year.

[Anonymous]

We already have had conflicts with soccer and baseball for our 4.5yr old! We told the kids they can each have 1 sport each season. The older kid can have a sport + cub scouts.

Swim lessons are between sports seasons and I schedule private lessons so they can go the same day.

Even with those limitations, I rely on my parents to cover 1 day a week.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We already have had conflicts with soccer and baseball for our 4.5yr old! We told the kids they can each have 1 sport each season. The older kid can have a sport + cub scouts.

Swim lessons are between sports seasons and I schedule private lessons so they can go the same day.

Even with those limitations, I rely on my parents to cover 1 day a week.

Seriously...choose sports with consistent schedules. It is life changing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We already have had conflicts with soccer and baseball for our 4.5yr old! We told the kids they can each have 1 sport each season. The older kid can have a sport + cub scouts.

Swim lessons are between sports seasons and I schedule private lessons so they can go the same day.

Even with those limitations, I rely on my parents to cover 1 day a week.

Seriously...choose sports with consistent schedules. It is life changing.

I get it, but when the kids love one of the sports with an inconsistent schedule, are we supposed to tell them it’s dance or nothing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We already have had conflicts with soccer and baseball for our 4.5yr old! We told the kids they can each have 1 sport each season. The older kid can have a sport + cub scouts.

Swim lessons are between sports seasons and I schedule private lessons so they can go the same day.

Even with those limitations, I rely on my parents to cover 1 day a week.

Seriously...choose sports with consistent schedules. It is life changing.

I get it, but when the kids love one of the sports with an inconsistent schedule, are we supposed to tell them it’s dance or nothing?

Dance, swim, gymnastics, figure skating, karate, music lessons, really any non- field, or court sport. Kids only know what you tell/show them, so show them activities that make family life easier. You drop the skin cancer risk significantly too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dance dance dance and dance. Did I mention how much I love dance for scheduling ease? I can count on classes being roughly the same day and time for years. No weather issues except for the rare ice storm. No rescheduled games. No sitting in a gnat infested field. I can go pick up groceries or get something done. I don't have to sit there just in case of a storm or something. Dance is my favorite. Swim is almost as good for the same reasons. Swim loses points for summer swim meet weather issues.

I can schedule with ease when the activity is consistent. Soccer and baseball are the worst for this stuff.

Music lessons are good schedule wise but not exercise based.

I agree that winter swim is great for this in that I know what days of the week my kid will have swim practice for the entire year. Also the meets are generally easier to deal with because you can always skip one or pick whether your kid will swim Sat or Sun. Summer swim takes over everything (and has insane volunteer requirements for parents)/