Reply to How are students supposed to build good extracurriculars when everything is impossible to join?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm a big believer in the idea that all kids need a "thing," even though that thing will naturally change repeatedly over time.  Even when they are quite young, they need to try out caring about something, learning about it, and taking steps to interact with it on their own.  It doesn't have to be high-level sports or music.  It could just be learning everything about a given musical artist, or drawing, or joining an intramural sport or club after school, or conscientiously looking after a pet.  It doesn't have to cost a great deal of money as long as kids learn that following or participating in something energetically can provide a sense of purpose and sometimes even a sense of identity.  For us adults it's harder: we sometimes have to feign interest, or encourage, or even cajole.  Or the opposite: maybe we end up driving all over creation for years on end because the thing is a THING.  And then just when the thing gets interesting and starts to feel worthwhile _to_us_, we may have to give it up gracefully because the kid moves on.  But eventually some thing may stick.  And the positive effects of all of the things, taken together, help to shape the kid who eventually writes those college applications.[/quote]

And sometimes that thing you gave up as a kid comes back, tweaked slightly, as a really important part of your adult life. Sure, it probably won't get your kid into Harvard, but it may be something truly delightful for the 60+ adult years that they aren't in college.[/quote]

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