One thing Freddie and I want for our kids is to always be able to try new activities. This summer Maddy had the opportunity to try three new things--swimming, t-ball, and dance.
From the beginning, I knew swimming would be just for the summer. Our main goal was for her to feel confident in the pool, and thanks to a fantastic teacher Madalyn is definitely more relaxed now than she was in June. She has a few more weeks of swim lessons before her teacher has to go back to college, but since it will be hot enough to swim at least through the end of September Maddy will have plenty of time to continue practicing.
I've written enough about t-ball that you know it's not Maddy's favorite thing, mostly because of her age. I haven't given up though--we will try again next summer/fall when she's a year older.
We're going to keep going to the ballet/tap class. Madalynn loves it, and she is a really good dancer. I could see this becoming something she does for many years if she stays interested in it.
Back to the point of the post--when I say "balance" I'm referring to finding the right amount of activity time versus downtime. There are so many things we want the girls to be able to experience. Aside from what Maddy has already tried, we want to continue encouraging sports. T-ball/softball may not be her thing, but something else--soccer, tennis, golf, running--may be something she enjoys. And Emmy hasn't even started yet so she may end up liking some things that Maddy doesn't.
There's also piano. I really want both girls to at least learn how to read music. I agree with the experts who equate learning to read music and play an instrument with learning a foreign language. It uses a different part of your brain. I'd love for the girls to have piano lessons one day.
And the list goes on with other possibilities--art, horseback riding, Girl Scouts, cooking... I want to at least be able to let them try something they're interested in, even if it's only for a short amount of time.
But--how do you balance all this with just having some downtime, much less school? I don't want to be one of those parents who schedules their kids' after school and weekend time to the max, but I can see how easy it is to slip into that mode. I used to roll my eyes when a student would complain about not having homework finished because of something the night before, but I understand it a lot more now. I still believe school comes first, but I also see how important it is to have other things for kids to do as well. But when do you know that what you're doing is the right amount of time spent on all three: school, activities, and downtime?
I'm thinking about this now because I'm thinking about fall activities for Maddy. Emmy's still too young to participate in what Maddy does so that's why Maddy is the focus at the moment. Maddy will have Mother's Day Out twice a week (M/W 9-1:30) and ballet on Thursdays for an hour. I also want to add gymnastics (depending upon the budget), but that would be another day that we would be committed to something. It would leave only one day a week for a "hang out day", as Maddy calls them, and we desperately need those hang out days sometimes. Is that too much activity for her, or will she be ok with a busy schedule? And what about when Emmy is old enough to participate or when Maddy starts school next year? How do we know whether or not we need to cut back?
I know we'll figure it out, and I know I also tend to overthink things. That's one of the reasons I like having the blog. It helps me get things down in writing so I can think about it clearly, and I also get advice from readers. :) I also realize this is something we're going to be working on until the girls are adults and out of the house. Anyway, I'll keep you updated on what they're doing and what we decide.
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