Extra Activities, Helping or Hindering?

You know Heart of the Matter asked a very good question. Do all the extra activities WE have our children do help or hinder our family time. I am going to make it real sweet and simple. Hinder.

I know some mothers who have their child in a cooking class, (like she can't teach her child that at home), soccor, art class and dance class. Plus they are in public school 5 days a week until almost 3:00. WOW! I do not know any adult who does that much. We are pushing and pushing and pushing our children to do more and more. What is wrong with a child just sitting back at home with Mom and Dad reading a book or baking cookies (cooking class) or playing ball in the back yard (soccor) or making a birthday card for a Friend (art) etc?

I am not saying that we should not have our kids in any classes. If one of my kids really had a thing for baseball, of course I would have them play. But I think we put too many demands on our children at such an early age. And then we wonder why at age 10 they do not talk to us about sex or problems. Well, we have not had the time to build a relationship like the ones they have built with their Friends for 10 hours a day.

I thin having your child learn new things from outside sources is fantastic. I have done an art class and t-ball. But when it gets to the point that your child is out 4 days a week doing extra curricular activities, I feel there needs to be a re-evaluation of why? Why is it so important to you the parent or the child to be away from the family so much. And what kind of long term effect with this have on them? Will they grow up to feel like they have to stay busy busy busy every moment of they day that they end up with a heart attack at age 40 from stress?

As far as our extra activities. Every other Thursday we have park day then on the off Thursdays we have a moms group at church. Then every other Friday we have an art class taught by a homeschool mom. And of course he see his friends in after school a few times a week. Nice a low key and stress free!