Balancing your Child’s Extracurricular Activities
As parents we recognize the need to allow our young children to become involved in activities outside their home and school environment. This is truly important to their total development. Each extracurricular activity has something unique to offer the child, so it is very important to help your child choose that which will fit his/her personality the best and give the most satisfaction and benefits.
There are some serious considerations that you as a parent must take into account. Don’t allow your child to get involved in too many activities at once. To do so can lead to lack of time and energy for school lessons and family activities. Is the activity chosen something you want the child to be interested in because it is your love and passion, or does the child show some interest in doing it for themselves? In other words, don’t try to relive your childhood through your child, but let them live their own childhood as you, hopefully, were privileged to live yours. And last and possibly most important, agree between both of you to support the child in the chosen activities.
As a music teacher, I often must face the problem of the mother wanting her child to learn music and enjoy the many benefits available through this activity, while the father is not fully supporting this because he wants his child to devote more or all of his/her time to sports. Both of these activates are important in a child’s life. Each develops special skills that can serve the individual well in adult life. They can be enjoyed together, and the child can do well in both, but he/she needs your united support, not to be pulled in two different directions by wanting to please both of his/her parents who can not agree. Please don’t do this to your child.
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