Teaching our kids to have goals, do their best, and leverage personal momentum to succeed are all good ideas. However, there is a difference between supporting a child’s efforts to reach their goals versus taking control of the results we deem the best possible outcomes for our kids. Parents who habitually steamroll their kids, rob them of personal experience on multiple levels. When parents over-step, kids can lose their point of view; their self-esteem may go down; they may feel confused, anxious, or depressed; and they may focus too much on pleasing their parents instead of honoring their own desires.
School mornings are busy, but an experienced parent knows the real rush is after school when evenings are packed with extracurricular activities. One child has Scouts, another has piano lessons, and two have soccer practice on opposite sides of town. As a mom of six, I have survived busy weeks full of extracurricular activities and a calendar that can only be described as ‘complicated.’
Tryout season can be tough! It feels like the school year has just begun, and already your tweens and teens are being asked to put themselves out there in front of their coaches. Tryouts can be a huge source of anxiety for your child.
How many organized after-school activities are necessary and healthy for your kids? It is definitely important to encourage extracurricular activities. Too much downtime is inevitably spent watching television, playing on a mobile or a tablet and bickering with siblings. In addition, it is important for kids to learn how to balance mandatory activities like homework, household chores and tooth brushing with their fun, elective activities.
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