I do think it’s worthy, I am calling for a balance. Sports are wonderful for kids but in many areas, kids are in 1-2 activities every day after school and it’s not always because the families need childcare.It is because parents think kids need to always stay busy. They don’t, they need PLAY time which is unstructured as well as these other activities. My post was trying to get across that we don’t need to structure our kids day 100%, they need time to just play in the mud, just climb a tree, just run outside.

I think after school activities get a bad rap. The entire reason these evolved were because every parent can’t take the time off to watch their kids play outside AND not every neighborhood is safe for kids to play alone. I think after school sports are a fantastic way for kids to get outdoor playtime if those are obstacles.

Let’s be honest- most people are struggling to just do the bare minimum in life. Everyone has some added responsibility- whether it’s caring for aging relatives or being a single parent, or simply renovating their older home. Having kids in activities that they love with trustworthy adults is NOT something that should be trashed the way so many people do these days (I am not saying you are here, I am just saying that is the sentiment I have come across a lot lately.) We should be teaching our kids to live as part of a community, not teaching them that mom is the sole person responsible for managing every moment of their day.