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McClatchy Newspapers
Sep. 23, 2008
Soccer. Baseball. Basketball. Volleyball. Travel teams. Gymnastics. Dance. Tae kwon do. Piano. Violin. Band. Quiz Bowl. French Club. Latin Club. Science Olympiad. Required community service. AP classes. SAT prep. Homework, homework, more homework. Tutoring. Therapist.
When did family life become one giant to-do list?
For decades now, experts have been warning that our children are overbooked. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued reports on the dangers of over-scheduling: Young children deprived of playtime are missing an essential element of their cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. Preteens who specialize in one sport risk burnout and an increased risk of injury. High school students pressured to beef up their resumes can suffer from depression and anxiety.
It takes a toll on parents as well, not to mention the cost to shuttle kids among all those activities.
Despite what the marketers and neighbors might say, the truth is that our kids will still get into college even if they've never watched a Baby Einstein video, played on a travel soccer team or been president of the Medieval Literature Club.
"The parents who are over-the-top, you're never going to change," says Alvin Rosenfeld, a child psychiatrist and author of "The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap." "It's about the incessant pressure on the rest of us. It's very hard to have the inner fortitude to resist that pressure.
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