Parenting: Do Your Kids Have Too Many Activities? - as part of the expert series by GeoBeats. Do Your Kids Have Too Many Activities? Well, a really good way to tell whether a child is over-scheduled is look at the child’s behavior. If she’s cranky and oppositional when it’s time to go to each of her activities, that’s a really good sign that this is too much. So, please watch the child to see whether it’s too much for him or her. Now, kids occasionally get cranky, but I’m talking about if it’s over a long time that they just are refusing to go, and saying, “No, I want to stay home,” you might have an over-scheduled child. If he or she seems too tired and cranky, therefore, you might have an over-scheduled child, too. So, it’s time to pull it back. Please have the courage to do this. We are sort of set up in today’s world that parents have to start their kids at three years old at whatever sport they expect them to excel in, or they will have missed a whole bunch of opportunities. Or music, or any kind of performance activities. Please just note that that’s not true, and if you have a child who is over-scheduled, it’s sort of soul damaging to that child. Children need downtime, and they need it more than adults. Adults need it, but we rarely get it. Children really need it. It’s vital for their mental health to have downtime, so build some into your child’s life so you can secure his or her mental health.
