Forget about emotionally scarring your kids by enrolling them in a litany of extra-curricular activities. According to a new study, the endless stream of piano lessons, soccer practices, Cub Scout meetings and ballet recitals, is more stressful on parents than anyone else.
Childhood experts at the University of Maryland at College Park maintain that parents of overscheduled kids are the ones who suffer the most emotional stress when it comes to juggling multiple activities. Turns out, most kids are fine being shuttled from sporting event to sporting event and then to music lessons, dance class and oh, don’t forget, school.
On the other hand, mom and dad, the ones responsible for transporting kids from one activity to another in a desperate attempt to see their offspring succeed, are the ones experiencing sensory overload.
The new findings negate the popular belief that many children today are stressed out by their overscheduled, over structured lives. That includes research done by the American Academy of Pediatrics, who in recent years has cautioned parents that a hurried lifestyle could lead to depression in young children. Following its study, the AAP encouraged parents to help their kids lead balanced lives that includes time for free play. However, according to the new study, a heavy load of age-appropriate activities is actually beneficial for children.
“We found that the very active children were thriving emotionally,” the study’s lead author noted. “In contrast, children who had the fewest activities were the most withdrawn, socially immature and had the lowest self-esteem.”
The new research relied on nationally representative data as well as time diaries and interviews with parents and kids. Parents included in the study noted that much of their day revolves around their kids’ extra-curricular activities.
“A lot of parents feel stressed under a tremendous time pressure from work and taking care of kids and taking care of the house,” the study’s lead author shared.
Experts recommend stressed-out parents re-evaluate their children’s activity loads. If you value family togetherness time on the weekends, but aren’t getting it because you are too busy shuttling kids from gymnastics to football to piano and karate, then it may be time to limit the number of activities your children participate in.
Does your child’s extra-curricular schedule stress you out?
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