Why do we have our children so over scheduled? Does it cause more stress than it is worth? My three children play four different sports in just the fall season alone! Now you are thinking: “This lady is nuts! She is a single mom. Why doesn’t she limit it to one sport per kid?” How can I tell my oldest, who wants to play football and lax, that he can’t?
Today, in our society, we have replaced that all important gym class with something else we think is just as, if not more beneficial to our children. I feel as though children need exercise daily which leaves this Mom feeling like I have to sign my children up for after school activities. One of my children has ADHD. (What family in America doesn’t have a child with this diagnosis?) Since my son was diagnosed, my only outlet, aside from medicating him, was to get him running and exercising. I call it “getting his yaya’s out!” Hence, my son has been playing a lot of sports for quite some time. Being a member of a team is extremely important to my son. It is like a man having a job and he can’t miss a game or practice for anything!! How can I not help to support him?
I am divorced, my friends are divorced or their husbands travel, maybe you have a job that you have to attend to and can’t leave to pick up your child from his or her activity of choice. What to do??? This is where the “village” comes into play. We need each other! There is no way my children would be able to complete all of their after school activities without the help of friends and neighbors. It is so nice to know that I have a repertoire of friends that can grab a child from an event when I am unable. I love that we watch out for each other here in Wayne, PA. It is one of the reasons that raising children here is such a gift!!!
Interestingly enough, I recently heard a man being interviewed on HBO’s Sports Program, describing that sports have replaced the family unit and provide a setting where our children make friends, embrace mentors and learn how to operate in a team environment. (Of course, what child doesn’t want to be part of a something?) Many of us couldn’t provide these opportunities of growth for our children without a “village”. The teamwork of our “village” is what enables our children to experience after school activities and so much more.
We all have crazy hectic lives today, and trying to do it all can be very challenging at times. Knowing that you have a true friend is such a gift! Everyone needs a friend that they can reach out to, who will not judge and who will be there when you need them! Luckily my village consists of so many fabulous women that I sometimes forget to tell them “thank you”! I’m a grateful, sober Mom of three that can say, without my village, all of these gifts my children receive wouldn’t be possible! So to my village, THANK YOU!!!
