As parents book their children in for more and more after-school clubs, are we in danger of overscheduling them" Rhiane Kirkby finds out
With the new school term underway, for many parents it means juggling drop-offs, pick-ups and inset days, but also factoring in a weekly activity timetable. ?In my day, there was only swimming, ballet, football, cubs and brownies,? reminisces one grandma. ?Now it?s gone completely crazy.?
Take a look at Annabel?s diary and you may be inclined to agree. Her children do a total of 13 different out-of-school activities each week. As a consequence they rarely eat their evening meal at home and usually do their homework in the car. And even though organising this weekly schedule appears to be a full time job, Annabel still finds the time to work as a lawyer and battle a long daily commute. ?I?m really not a tiger mum,? explains Annabel. ?In fact, I?m not competitive at all. I rarely watch my kids doing any of their activities as I?m usually working on my laptop.? So, you may ask, why does she put herself through this gruelling schedule" ?In the old days, kids would come home and go running around in the street ? that just doesn?t happen anymore, but they still need to burn off energy. Most of the activities we do are physical and that?s my choice, but I never make them do anything they don?t enjoy.? When asked whether she feels her children are missing out on time with family and friends or the chance to unwind after school, Annabel...