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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]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.  [/quote]

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.[/quote]

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)[/quote]

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.[/quote]

The thing is - overscheduling is never defined. I don't know a single kid who doesn't have free time. The elementary schoolers who play travel sports and practice 3x per week? Still seem to hang out with neighborhood friends plenty. The high schoolers who have summer jobs, play in the orchestra, and are multi-season varsity athletes taking rigorous courseloads? Still seem to be hanging out at the pool when they aren't working there.

Anyone who uses their time well, to include kids, can usually find free time. Is it enough free time? That's up for debate. But you can usually wring free time out of a day.[/quote]

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