My Busy Child

When does too much, really become 'too much'? As I was growing up, I remember participating in all sorts of school activities. Now a mother of three, I fear that perhaps, I may be killing my children (with activities). I know my mom would say "it's good for them", "keep them busy so they don't get lazy". I get it...

When my son was 5 yrs old, I signed him up for soccer. He took to it like a bird with wings. He excelled, and he had so much energy to burn. When my eldest daughter was old enough, we signed her up too. She was so petite and so cute, but she didn't really take to it as well as her brother, so she stopped playing. As my sons' grades began to fall, extracurricular privileges were taken away. That was my mistake, because that's when the laziness started to kick in. My daughter wanted to try cultural dance and so my mom decided to sign her up for it. I was worried about conflicting schedules and transportation for practices, but my mom was insistent and said she would be the one transporting her & her cousins. Okay, that really helped me.

Youth soccer had two seasons, one in the fall and one in the spring. So, all three of my kiddies decide they want to sign up again for soccer. Without hesitation, they were all registered and ready to go. My deal is, I'm up for supporting my kiddies with their activities as long as grades are not affected and they see it through to the end. I'm sure that's what every parent wants to do for their children, right? So with all three in it for the season, we were at the field, on game days, in the early morning, mid-day & late afternoon. Some days, my elder daughter had a cultural event and we were rushing to or from a game. It was crazy.

One year, she decided she wanted to join a beauty pageant for one of the local Filipino communities. That was a crazy 5-month activity. We sold tickets, held a car wash, did a talent show, participated in a cultural competition. It was too much (for me)... but I could see the joy in her face, the friends she made, the experiences she gained. It was all worth it when she wore her third runner-up crown proudly during the annual "Santacruzan" (or parade).

My son showed interest in cultural dancing so he tried it out and I guess he enjoyed it because he's still participating. My baby girl agreed to try out basketball. The program is in the summer, so it works out great! She liked it and made some friends.

It sometimes seems so overwhelming for me and I worry that if, it's too much for me, is it too much for them? I ask if they're sure they can handle the multiple activities & they assure me that they can handle it. I let them know immediately, that if, at any time, they feel it's too much, they can let me know and I will "rescue them". So now all my kiddies are participating in some kind of activity. It will get hectic again and I know...or hope, I can still handle it all.

All in all, when I do become a grandmother (hopefully many years from now), I want my children to do the same for their children as I have done for them. It's something my mom did for me and I did always enjoy looking down or out at the audience to see her smiling back at me with pride & joy.