I know every family struggles with these same questions.
But seriously, how much is too much when it comes to activities, sports, clubs etc.?
Because right now, this is my life:
Cheer practice, and Student Council one time per month for Addy, on Mondays, House Church, plus Girl Scouts one time per month, on Tuesdays, Ballet and Tumbling on Wednesdays, Thursdays are the day I take my mom to chemo (I get 1 "off" week per month), Fridays, (and Saturday evenings), are usually busy with birthday parties, date nights, get togethers, or other social things, Saturday morning is Upward cheer, and Sunday is church, and a cheer board meeting one time per month.
Plus, scatter into that, various other meetings for cheer, play dates, watching The Bachelor on Monday nights with my posse, (I seriously can't quit that!), homework and school projects, making meals and other errands etc. for my mom, trying to help with Jeremy's dad, grocery store runs, cleaning my house (Ha! Who has time for that?), Doctor appointments, various PTO obligations, trying to write blog posts, and occasionally having a real conversation with my husband!
It's enough to drive me crazy just typing it.
But I know that this is actually pretty "normal" for most families.
But does it make us happy? What's the purpose of all of it? Why are we maxing ourselves out?
And don't get me wrong, I LOVE being busy and keeping my family active.
I'm The Family Fun Mom for cryin' out loud!
But I just keep wondering if a more simple life, a life with less 'busyness' would be better for all of us.
I wish I had the answers. But every time I start to think about eliminating something, I get anxious.
Questions and statements like,
"how will they be able to continue in cheer if they don't tumble?" and
"every little girl needs to do ballet, don't they?" and
"all of her friends are in girl scouts" and
"This is the way to raise well rounded children" start to pop up.
Then I convince myself that we're doing the right thing.
Until the next week comes and I start the questions all over again.
So tell me, how do you know when it's enough? How do you decide, when your child comes home and asks to do one more activity, what to say? And how do we continue the balancing act of staying on top of it all?
And you want me to do cheer! We have kinda set a one activity rule. 2 really. They both do scouts and one other. Even that is to much sometimes.
ReplyDeleteThink about what your favorite childhood memories are. For me, none of them are of the "activities" I was involved in. I do think there is benefit in them....exercise, learning, being a part of a community...but I'm with the "one at a time" rule too. Enough other stuff of life busts in and there needs to be some wiggle room for that.
ReplyDeleteI loved when my dad would play baseball or ski with us, and when my mom would cook or sing with just me. Oh, and pillow forts...there should be a day set aside for pillow forts.