This Meter Is NOT Running
I’m not sure why so many parents brag about all the different groups & sports their kids are involved in. It doesn’t make me think your kid is smart or will end up being the next NFL player to ‘make it big’ from our unknown city (there’s been lots of them, btw. The last one was a ‘fan’ of dogs). The one thing it does tell me, is you probably don’t spend enough time with your kid.
Now, I know this has been talked to death lately in the blog-o-sphere, but we all knew I had to jump on the train sometime. I like sports. I like debate team (in theory – who can listen to teenagers argue over world issues without grabbing the gavel and going on a hammer spree?). But when your kid is in involved in so many extracurriculars that the van is the place you spend the most time together….? That’s a problem.
Look, there’s no point in me re-hashing this. Go here: LINK and read Louis M. Profeta, MD’s article. It’s great. This also applies to dance class, piano, flute, trombone (seriously, has there EVER been a famous trombonist?), etc.
Let your kid follow their passions. They WILL be good at something. Just focus on ONE thing for a while, and give them the opportunity to quit when they want. Not when it gets hard – that’s a life lesson. But when they don’t have a passion for something, let them move on.
Spend some time around the dinner table talking to your kids. You may learn more than you have while being their taxi driver. And if you insist on carting them to-an-fro, at least turn the meter on. When they become Uber Famous, you can send them a bill to recoup all that gas money. Sadly, whether they hit it big or not, you’ll never be able to recoup that lost time.