Parents putting their toddlers in a zillion organized activites? (child care, game, boy)
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^ This is where I have the problem, not with babies rolling around with a ball, or playing at dance school.
Whoever said that all kids need to be in "organized sports"?? Our 2 grew up just fine without it, and now our grandchildren have largely opted out of this merry-go-round. Too many over-zealous parents pushing their kids to excel in something they are too young to do without injuries, many of which are life-long. Our family prefers the emphasis be on grades; scholarships for sports are not all they're cracked up to be. No, I don't care what other folks do with their kids (for those of you who will ask).
How much gas will the Moms be spending taking the kids to all of their "activities"? The price of gas isn't going down anytime soon. For parents who need a little "me" time when the kids are very young, that is fine, but be aware that you will more than make up for it later in "kid" time, acting as chauffer! Also, this has changed the entire dynamics of family life, with the kids' activities always coming first, rather than the household largely revolving around the parents' lives, which is as it should be for the bread-winners.
Nobody, including me, said kids "need to be in organized sports". And you are confusing "organized" with "competitive". Recreational, no-cut, and unified are all three considered organized sports that include everyone and are fun organized play. Just because a child takes an art class, dance class for a year, or maybe plays T-ball doesn't equate to "over zealous parenting" and "life-long injuries". I also mentioned free-family-movie nights, free story time at the book store, and free activities through the community . Our family's emphasis is on grades, we eat dinner at home every night, and though my kids now drive, I was not a chauffeur. Chauffeurs would simply drop and leave, and I was always an active participant in my little one's classes, practice, recitals etc.
There ARE families that over-schedule and push kids for scholarships, etc. I know one in particular, that is convinced beyond a doubt that his children will be Olympic athletes, and I think it's crazy. But there is middle ground, it's not all or nothing. Little ones can be in Gymboree without it being the end of the world.
My wife has been a SAHM since the twins were born. We travel a good bit and the girls have experienced the subways of New York to the top of Mt Washington but they have missed out on the social interaction of never having been to daycare..................this being the case my wife has found plenty to do with them around our area such as free events at our library (painting, reading) the museum and many other places. They are regulars at Lowes for the children's building events also. If you search out there are plenty of free or next to nothing things for you to experience with your children.
The lack of social interaction with children of their own age was our biggest concerns and we found out really quickly that a lot of organized activities (you pay for) in our area seemed to be a waste of money................we put the girls in a tumbling class at age three and it appeared the instructor was just having them jump around for a half an hour each class.
I don't know......times have changed.....we have received a bit of flap (from friends and family) over us putting the twins on the school bus this year for kindergarten. They went willingly...no tears or fears.
As an older parent it seems children these days are being shorted on good old fashioned plain simple fun...........I want to nurture dreamers and explorers.
Every parents ideas are going to be different on what they think their young ones needs..........but as mentioned there are so many free things to do out there with your children if you have the time and patience to explore!
Here is a link to a great site in our area........that promotes both free things small cost events around town as an example.
Yes lots of people put their kids in organized activities very young. Yes, it is mostly for the parents but the kids mostly seem to think its fun. Kudos to you for not giving into peer pressure....but why do you care what other parents choose to do with their time?
That's true, but I suspect it might be a matter of resisting that peer pressure to "keep up with the Jones', " kids activity-wise, or even resisting a subtle marketing message by those entrepeneurs of the kids' activities, or suggestions by other parents who have been sucked in by that message that enrolling kids at a very young age in multiple activities is prerequisite to being a good parent.
I never put my daughter into any day cares, preschools, babysitters or any of that other crap until she was 4 years old. At that point, I enrolled her in martial arts. I did that simply for the focus and discipline it offered ---- not that my daughter needed it; she was a very well-behaved and respectful child --- but she had never been in any kind of activity and she would be entering Kindergarten later that year and I wanted her to understand what a classroom setting would be like.
Oh, and it makes me cringe when people say "they have to be socialized" ---- as if this is a feral child that you just picked up from a pack of wolves in the forest. If your kid is around other HUMANS, it will be "socialized" and you don't need classes. If you DO need classes to teach your child how to act around other people, then you're not doing a very good job.
To the OP: the only thing you should care about in this scenario is how - if at all possible - to join the gang of "entrepreneurs" who exploit the irrational, "sheeply" instincts of the masses. That's all.
Somehow, someway, masses of parents have become convinced that it is in the best interest of their child, and even in their own best interest as parents, to pay money so that the child will be part of some kind of extra-curricular "organized activity" - whether the child shows the slightest inclination or natural talent towards said activity or not.
You should not care whether the above is true or not. The only thing you should care about is how to sell a piece of this huge illusion to the masses of parents out there. Most are ripe and ready to take cash out of their pockets and place it into yours.
Step 1: identify a piece of the illusion: "My child will be smarter, more graceful, more academic, more athletic, more social, more competitive, more musical, more popular, more likely to find his "inner passion", happier, more likely to be accepted by the Ivy League admissions officers, less bored, less not-stimulated, less unable to play ()...anyway... more or less of something - hence more likely to be a "winner" in life... if I sign him up for X, Y or Z.
You can also exploit this other type of mindset: "I will have more time to myself as a parent while still looking like I am doing a lot at home to raise my children; both my child and I will be able to make some friends - after all, none of us have any...or I will just feel like I did what any good parent does - which is a reward in and of itself...if my child is signed up for X, Y or Z".
To the OP: the only thing you should care about in this scenario is how - if at all possible - to join the gang of "entrepreneurs" who exploit the irrational, "sheeply" instincts of the masses. That's all.
Somehow, someway, masses of parents have become convinced that it is in the best interest of their child, and even in their own best interest as parents, to pay money so that the child will be part of some kind of extra-curricular "organized activity" - whether the child shows the slightest inclination or natural talent towards said activity or not.
You should not care whether the above is true or not. The only thing you should care about is how to sell a piece of this huge illusion to the masses of parents out there. Most are ripe and ready to take cash out of their pockets and place it into yours.
Step 1: identify a piece of the illusion: "My child will be smarter, more graceful, more academic, more athletic, more social, more competitive, more musical, more popular, more likely to find his "inner passion", happier, more likely to be accepted by the Ivy League admissions officers, less bored, less not-stimulated, less unable to play ()...anyway... more or less of something - hence more likely to be a "winner" in life... if I sign him up for X, Y or Z.
You can also exploit this other type of mindset: "I will have more time to myself as a parent while still looking like I am doing a lot at home to raise my children; both my child and I will be able to make some friends - after all, none of us have any...or I will just feel like I did what any good parent does - which is a reward in and of itself...if my child is signed up for X, Y or Z".
Step2: Come up with an X, Y, or Z.
Step 3: Enjoy a better life.
Step 4: You're welcome.
How very cynical.
The only things that matter when it comes to pre-school activities are whether the family can afford them, whether the child is a willing participant, and whether the parents see a benefit to them.
If all those are checked off as "yes", then it's nobody's business but the family involved.
To the OP: the only thing you should care about in this scenario is how - if at all possible - to join the gang of "entrepreneurs" who exploit the irrational, "sheeply" instincts of the masses. That's all.
.
Oh. So the OP should follow the lead of teachers who earn their money by exploiting the sheeply instincts of the masses to educate their children.
Like that?
The man who invented the precursor to the t-ball lived down the street from my family when I was a kid. He sold the idea to Hasbro. He invented it so kids would have a way to hit a ball when they were playing by themselves. Yep. He invented it so kids could have..... fun. (His "real" job was working in a factory.) I'm guessing he be surprised by the angst some people manage to create over kids going out and hitting a ball off the top of a stick.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 08-31-2014 at 02:16 PM..
Years ago, my sister enrolled her 6 year old daughter in "acting class". I thought it was ridiculous, until my sister told me it was basically a place where they had tons of stuff to play with, dress up in and pretend.
Then she said it was really sad that a fair number of the children didn't have dress up things, and even more had to be taught how to pretend. (Of course -- not everyone has an aunt in janitorial that finds bridal gowns all wrapped and sealed in presentation boxes left by dumpsters)
I never put my daughter into any day cares, preschools, babysitters or any of that other crap until she was 4 years old. At that point, I enrolled her in martial arts. I did that simply for the focus and discipline it offered ---- not that my daughter needed it; she was a very well-behaved and respectful child --- but she had never been in any kind of activity and she would be entering Kindergarten later that year and I wanted her to understand what a classroom setting would be like.
Oh, and it makes me cringe when people say "they have to be socialized" ---- as if this is a feral child that you just picked up from a pack of wolves in the forest. If your kid is around other HUMANS, it will be "socialized" and you don't need classes. If you DO need classes to teach your child how to act around other people, then you're not doing a very good job.
This made me LOL. And I agree.
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)...anyway... more or less of something - hence more likely to be a "winner" in life... if I sign him up for X, Y or Z. 
