s/o from Parenting re: after school activities

shouldbworkin

What are your thoughts on this as working parents?  Will you encourage your kids to participate?  Will you dread it?  How are you planning on getting your kids to/from activities?

 I guess we are kind of getting used to it, but I did sort of dread it at first.  But, it's important to me that my kids explore different interests and hopefully find something they love, so I do it even if it makes my evenings crazy.  Right now, we mostly do activities that start at 6 pm on the weekdays or on a weekend.  I try to limit it though.  I refuse to put DD in anything until she's 3 and DS can only be in 1-2 activities at a time.  I guess in the future, DH and I will stagger our hours even more or see if we can have a grandparent, friend or sitter help to get them there. 

What about you?

duchess0727

Until middle school, it's likely I'll let the kids do 1-2 activities and try to gear it towards the weekend.  Like if it's soccer, 1 practice during the week and a game on a weekend.  Either my husband and I will arrange our work schedule or MIL, another relative or a sitter will take them.  Before kindergarten, it's doubtful they will do anything outside of daycare/pre-school.  I don't want to load them up with activities and not give them any time to learn to play independently, use their imaginations and be creative.  Plus I don't want to turn into a chauffeur!

Pesky

I will encourage it and we'll figure it out.  Right now, both DH and I are lucky that our jobs are fairly flexible.  And very lucky that for now, our daycare offers a lot of activities there, including swimming lessons during the summer.  I just enrolled DD in dance there because I thought she might like it and it's geared for a younger age like hers -- lots of jumping around in pretty tutus so she digs it.

BoxTer

I did a lot of activities as a kid and I want to encourage DD to try out as many things as she wants (within reason). Your question is a good one and I have no idea how we'll coordinate the transportation. I'm kinda hoping I can switch to PT work when she's older so I can be around in the afternoons. Putting in my time now so maybe that will be an option for me down the road. I'd hate to have to miss soccer games or plays or whatever because of work.

luvmagoldn

BoxTer:

I'm kinda hoping I can switch to PT work when she's older so I can be around in the afternoons. Putting in my time now so maybe that will be an option for me down the road. I'd hate to have to miss soccer games or plays or whatever because of work.

This!

shouldbworkin

luvmagoldn:

BoxTer:

I'm kinda hoping I can switch to PT work when she's older so I can be around in the afternoons. Putting in my time now so maybe that will be an option for me down the road. I'd hate to have to miss soccer games or plays or whatever because of work.

This!

My thoughts too.  Not completely PT, but just enough to shave some time off of the day.

duchess0727

Did you guys do a lot of activities as kids?  When I was young, my parents threw me in every activity in the world and I felt like I spent my whole childhood running around between activities and not spending that much quality time at any one activity or with my parents.  And somehow I?m not as close with my parents as I wish I was ? I love them to pieces but we don?t relate that well ? and sometimes I think if I did fewer activities and spent more time with them, I would?ve been happier.  And perhaps I would have had a chance to actually be really good at one thing instead of mediocre at a bunch. So this is what led up to my post about 1-2 activities.

wheelenl

We will limit the activities, not for us but for them. I guess we're sort of part of that new parenting philosophy of less is more. I don't want my kid burnt out. DH and I did a ton but it was mostly in middle/high school and was by our choice.

I will encourage them to experiment, but I want them to have plenty of free time to just be kids. You have to live by a schedule the rest of your life. 

mhathorne

My main thing is that I want them to socialize. I am a teacher, and I see so many kids get pressured into doing so many things that a lot of them comment that they don't ever even have time to sit down to dinner together (high school kids). I need to get to know my child better (she's an infant now) and know what is going on in our lives at any given point before I can help her determine the workload that works for her.  

shouldbworkin

duchess0727:

Did you guys do a lot of activities as kids?  When I was young, my parents threw me in every activity in the world and I felt like I spent my whole childhood running around between activities and not spending that much quality time at any one activity or with my parents.  And somehow I?m not as close with my parents as I wish I was ? I love them to pieces but we don?t relate that well ? and sometimes I think if I did fewer activities and spent more time with them, I would?ve been happier.  And perhaps I would have had a chance to actually be really good at one thing instead of mediocre at a bunch. So this is what led up to my post about 1-2 activities.

Not a ton.  I swam and had Hebrew school 3x a week.  I am not close with my parents b/c they really weren't that involved as parents, not b/c we were in sports.  I hear what you're saying though.  There are many nights when we just sit on the couch and cuddle after dinner and I think there is something to be said for that.  We will definitely be limiting activities to 1-2 each/season, as I really value our QOL and won't put it in jeopardy for anything.

BlairWaldorf

I did a ton of activities & loved them, but my mother was a SAHM & could shuttle all of us to & from activities.  I think it's very important for children to have both a sport & an art.

I took ballet, tap, gymnastics, piano, church activities, Girl Scouts, Indian Princesses, cheerleading, Student Government, etc.

I'd like for Harrison to pick one sport & do Boy Scouts.  We'll some how find the time - whether it's another mom who can pick him up or drop him off for me.