Time on my Hands

Young people these days are involved in more and more extracurricular activities. They are more involved than they have ever been before. How much is too much? Should there be a limit to the amount of extracurricular activities that a young person can be involved in? Personally, I think there should be a limit. I am an exhausted and concerned parent of three. We have been working to eliminate as many unnecessary activities from our schedule as we can.

There are many reasons for my concern. One of the reasons is that we just don’t have enough time as a family. We used to sit around the table and discuss topics at the dinner table. We are lucky now if we even get dinner, let alone eat it as a family.

Another reason for the concern is that my children’s grades are falling. These kids who used to be ‘A’ and ‘B’ students are now struggling to maintain a ‘C’ in most classes. There just isn’t enough time for homework. Education should be the priority—not the extracurricular activities.

The final reason I feel concern is that we are all so tired. Everyone is running in three different directions. The kids are so exhausted they are even falling asleep in class. Kids need time to play, work, imagine, and create. Extracurricular activities that claim to create well-rounded kids end up taking away the personalities and freedom of the kids involved.