When I was a kid life was easy. Or at least it seemed that way to me at the time. Sure, I had to go to school. But that was pretty much it. I remember coming home from school, maybe doing some homework and then pretty much playing until the sun went down. I did get very involved in dance during middle and high school and that took some time. But I don’t remember feeling overwhelmed, or more on topic over-scheduled.

Kids these days (do I sound old or what?), seem to be so over-scheduled. We all know kids who have activities every single day after school. As soon as the dismissal bell rings they are on to the next activity, and they don’t stop until well after dark. Then they have dinner (probably not as a family meal) and homework is still waiting to be done. They stay up late, get up early and never have a chance to rest. It seems like a perfect recipe for burn out.

I believe in the importance of organized activities. They teach a child to be responsible. They teach them the importance of teamwork. They teach a child to set a goal and work hard to reach that goal. But there can be too much of a good thing.

I know that many kids love their after school activities and want to do them each day. I know they don’t mind missing out on sleep to finish their homework once the activities are done for the day. I know there are many well adjusted teenagers that have been living a hectic schedule for over a decade. For some people it seems to work. But not for me.

The current rule in our home (current – meaning that I realize that things change and this rule may change in the future) is that each child can choose two different after school activities. The choice is entirely theirs to make. Basketball? Sure! Art? No problem! Sewing? Awesome! Each school year we discuss what activities they want to sign up for. Sometimes it’s an activity that only meets once a week for an hour or two. Sometimes it’s a team sport that may have one or two practices each week as well as a game or two.

Our time commitments vary based on what activities they choose. This year my daughter joined the competition team at her dance studio. That meant an additional dance class each week as well as one competition out of state. She also made the decision this year to only have one activity. She said she wanted to have some free time after school as well to play. I thought it was a smart decision on her part.

Our son picked one sport to do that lasts all year long. In addition to that he wanted to play basketball. The basketball season was only seven weeks long. When basketball ended he wanted to play baseball. We did have a two week overlap between basketball and baseball. So for two weeks he was involved in three activities. We bent the rule for those two weeks.

Our two activity rule seems to work for our family. It gives our kids the freedom to try different things. It helps to keep us from getting too over-scheduled. It’s a rule they know and are comfortable with, they don’t ask to add anything extra. Now I realize that to some people two activities per child sounds like a lot! With just two kids that means four activities to schedule, four activities to pay for, four activities to attend as a parent. But we make it work. There is always at least one parent at each game (if not both plus grandparents), we all show up for dance recitals and our children are required to attend their siblings games/performances unless they have their own activity that they have already committed to.

How do you all handle the pressures and time constraints are children have to deal with? What is the rule for activities in your home? How much is too much? What works for you?

Tomorrow, Monday May 11th is Mother’s Day Madness here at Lazy Moms! Mr. Linky will be up bright and early. We want to hear all about your Mother’s Day! You will even have the chance to win a slotRadio MP3 player. Read all the details about it here. We hope you participate in our blog party!