Are You Tired? You Must Have Kids

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Shades readers, I really need you to weigh in on this one...

Let me set the stage for you.  When I was a kid, my day was comprised of going to school, doing homework, maybe having a little fun and then wash, rinse, repeat for the rest of the week.  Do you remember those days?  Well, they seem to be long gone!

I do not have kids and let me tell you, I am completely fatigued hearing about the lives of my friends who have children.  Let’s see, hockey on Monday, Tuesday and Friday and if there is a tournament, Saturday and Sunday, dance and singing lessons on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, birthday parties on Saturday afternoons and soccer on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays…the list of activities go on ad nauseum.  Kids today are exhausted and by association, their parents today are pooped! 

It is a lot to take in.  When chatting with my friends, they will often say that it is good to have their kids try our difference activities so that they can decide on what they might want to do later in life.  They also say that it is important to create good habits when it comes to physical activities and creating strong networks.  I agree with all of their rationale and in some ways, I wish I had some of those experiences when I was growing up.  But those comments are almost always coupled with how tired they and their kids are and how much those activities can cost, especially if you get to certain levels.  It seems like a lot of stress and a little bit of trying to keep up with the Joneses, the Khans and the Wongs (in other words, this issue seems to be cross cultural). 

One of my friends has a daughter and her approach seems to strike a good balance.  Every year, the family decides collaboratively on one activity that the daughter can participate in.  By choosing one thing, the time that is needed for schoolwork is there and then the time to just be a kid and have some fun is there as well.  I like that. 

Shades readers, where do you stand on this issue?  Do you believe that kids should be involved in many different activities, some or none at all?  Are too many activities causing stress on the family via exhaustion and a lot of money being spent?  Let us know what you think in the comments.

Thanks for reading and please share us.  Have a great week!