Reply to Children's activities that are a money pit

Forum Index » Money and Finances

Reply to "Children's activities that are a money pit"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]^^^Couldn't you say that about any activity?  Let's say you pay $20K in lessons for a kid to learn to play the piano, and the kid doesn't become a professional, but likes likes music, plays socially, and has a nice time.  I would not think that was a waste of money.

I don't think most parents are trying to get professional athletes, singers, etc.  There is certainly no money to be earned in some of the most expensive activities like horseback riding, ice skating, or martial arts.

I have my kids in tennis lessons because I think they will have a nice time and will learn a game they might enjoy through life.  My kids play some local tournaments and mostly hangout with friends.  I won't pay to travel to tournaments.  But I don't spend more than my neighbors who's kids play hokey or travel sports.

Overall, any activity is going to be a "money pit" once you try to take it to the Nth degree (additional lessons/coaching, travelling to competitions, upgraded equipment, etc.).[/quote]

Yep- I have to agree with you here.  I spend $3K+ annually on piano lessons and pianos aren't cheap.  I don't have any expectation that my son will be a "professional" here- I would actually discourage it due to lifestyle/finances but I get enjoyment everyday listening to him play and I believe it is a great stress reliever.  He's doing really well and we will probably spend more money on it as he gets older- but I'm not delusional- it's an expense and I'm just glad that we can afford it.  However my son practices quite a bit everyday, if he didn't practice, it would totally be a waste a money.  [/quote]

I could have written this previous post.  DS has played piano for 7 years and is very good but will never win any ribbons or competitions.  However, he enjoys it (not passionate about it but is happy to sit down for practice everyday), I get to listen to half an hour of beautiful music everyday and I think it is also therapeutic after school.  So, we happily spend close to $3K a year on it.  Also, I hope it will foster a love of music and it is something he can do for the rest of his life unlike gymnastics for example.  We also pay around $1000 a year for tennis lessons (for the six months he does not do rec. soccer).  Tennis is a sport he can enjoy and play for decades and rec. soccer is fun and a team sport.  My aim is to have him get regular exercise and develop interests he can continue pursuing beyond high school.  He is a very serious academic student and I don't want to add stress by having him pursue any of these EC activities in a very competitive way.  He might be able to do this with piano if he practiced a couple of hours a day for example but that's not what I want for him.  I would like his hobbies to be just that.  Now, if he was a gifted athlete, I would have a much harder decision to make.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics