The point isn’t to substitute scheduled activities with screen time . It’s to remove scheduled activities and allow kids to be bored. Play outside. Hang out with family, explore…
Agree! And (years ago) it was much easier to do without screens pulling at our kids 24/7. Scheduled activities for the sake of really learning skills (as opposed to just staying busy) is a good thing and can be a real gift :)
I feel like you’re setting up a false dichotomy here. It is possible to both not have tons of scheduled activities outside the home, AND not allow children to be in front of screens all the time. Creativity and development of skills can happen at home, too. It’s a good cautionary tale, but a family feeling overwhelmed by outside activities can pull back without being afraid that too much screen time is the other option.
I didn't read it like that at all. To me, she's just saying that cutting back on scheduled activities - per well-intentioned parenting advice - can have unintended consequences (if you're not mindful of what that time is filled with).
I think both over-scheduling and too much screen time are very real dangers, because they both eliminate the possibility of a child being Bored. Eventually, a Bored child will decide they want hobbies- hobbies which they decide to do on their own, hobbies which they practice with internal motivation- and hobbies are different from extracurriculars. Hobbies almost always have the potential for more later in life. However, because extracurriculars are often enforced by parents, they have less potential. Just my two cents! This was an interesting take!!
Love this. I've been wary of becoming overscheduled, but my husband has pushed me to have them be involved in organized things, and I've seen the benefits. Now that we homeschool it feels better to do several different activities, because at least our days are slow :) Great post that brings nuance and shows that even generally good advice (I still think that kids are overscheduled these days and that kids actually need a lot of unstructured time) needs to be applied with thoughtfulness! Especially, as you're saying, in this tech-filled world we now live in .
I think this is such a good point. Sure, you can overdo it on the schedule, but I really think kids can gain so many awesome skills and confidence by doing organized activities! I also feel like there’s a wide variation in what is offered- like once a week gymnastics or ballet is way different than shelling out thousands for travel leagues!
As an addiction psychiatrist I have seen too many lives being destroyed by video gaming and other addictions. Other parents bring good points as well. Myself as a parent I only schedule activities that my son shows interest such. He flatly refused to continue piano but he loves drumming, I never have to fight about it. He is not a superb athlete but he enjoys soccer in AYSO season . I guess as a parent I give him a choice of extracurricular activity.
The point isn’t to substitute scheduled activities with screen time . It’s to remove scheduled activities and allow kids to be bored. Play outside. Hang out with family, explore…
Agree! And (years ago) it was much easier to do without screens pulling at our kids 24/7. Scheduled activities for the sake of really learning skills (as opposed to just staying busy) is a good thing and can be a real gift :)
I feel like you’re setting up a false dichotomy here. It is possible to both not have tons of scheduled activities outside the home, AND not allow children to be in front of screens all the time. Creativity and development of skills can happen at home, too. It’s a good cautionary tale, but a family feeling overwhelmed by outside activities can pull back without being afraid that too much screen time is the other option.
I didn't read it like that at all. To me, she's just saying that cutting back on scheduled activities - per well-intentioned parenting advice - can have unintended consequences (if you're not mindful of what that time is filled with).
I think both over-scheduling and too much screen time are very real dangers, because they both eliminate the possibility of a child being Bored. Eventually, a Bored child will decide they want hobbies- hobbies which they decide to do on their own, hobbies which they practice with internal motivation- and hobbies are different from extracurriculars. Hobbies almost always have the potential for more later in life. However, because extracurriculars are often enforced by parents, they have less potential. Just my two cents! This was an interesting take!!
Love this. I've been wary of becoming overscheduled, but my husband has pushed me to have them be involved in organized things, and I've seen the benefits. Now that we homeschool it feels better to do several different activities, because at least our days are slow :) Great post that brings nuance and shows that even generally good advice (I still think that kids are overscheduled these days and that kids actually need a lot of unstructured time) needs to be applied with thoughtfulness! Especially, as you're saying, in this tech-filled world we now live in .
You actually changed my mind on this. Thank you!
I think this is such a good point. Sure, you can overdo it on the schedule, but I really think kids can gain so many awesome skills and confidence by doing organized activities! I also feel like there’s a wide variation in what is offered- like once a week gymnastics or ballet is way different than shelling out thousands for travel leagues!
Thank you for sharing this
It brought tears to my eyes
As an addiction psychiatrist I have seen too many lives being destroyed by video gaming and other addictions. Other parents bring good points as well. Myself as a parent I only schedule activities that my son shows interest such. He flatly refused to continue piano but he loves drumming, I never have to fight about it. He is not a superb athlete but he enjoys soccer in AYSO season . I guess as a parent I give him a choice of extracurricular activity.