Too much kid stuff?  

Tips for getting your kids back in the swing of fall

There are kids whose hand-held computers are loaded with choir rehearsals, ballet lessons, basketball practices, and Girl Scout meetings. The 12- to 14-hour days are enough to make an adult frantic.

Are we signing our kids up for too many activities? Experts say it’s necessary sometimes to hit the delete button when it comes to a child’s schedule.

What is the definition of “overprogramming?” It depends on the child to whom the term is applied, says Community Hospital clinical social worker Suzi Brauner-Tatum.

“Some kids react badly to simply having a lot of homework. Others have a capacity to manage more activity,” Brauner-Tatum says. “A child who has no time to relax or reflect is typically overprogrammed.

“Put a kid’s day into an adult context. They wake, eat, and get to school within an hour. From 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. or 4 p.m., they’re focused on following what’s happening. Then they likely have an hour or more of homework. So from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., it’s concentrated time. If you throw in softball or t’ai chi, their awake time is filled.”

The results of overscheduling are much the same for kids and adults.

“When you’re stressed and running around, you can’t think through what you’re doing, and you lose things,” says Brauner-Tatum. “It doesn’t take very long before your ability to function drops.”

The impact of overprogramming is not only a stressed-out child, but may be a young person who is ambiguous about his or her identity.

“Activity is so much more structured than it used to be,” Brauner-Tatum says. “Kids have less time to do things that help them develop their own identity — What books do I like? Who are my true friends? If your child is in too many activities, he or she may be subscribing to someone else’s goals. Kids can wake up living a life they haven’t chosen, suddenly wondering, ‘Who am I? What do I want?’

“Our imagination is part of who we are. Kids who make up characters or their own comic books are usually the ones with a bit of time on their hands. If a computer or TV is leading a child, the art of twoperson communication is often lost, as is the sense of one’s own creativity and self.”

Experts say there are numerous causes for overprogramming. The most significant is that both parents must work, so adult supervision is sought elsewhere. Urbanization is another culprit. There are fewer open spaces for children to play, to say nothing of the safety issues that plague parents today.

Brauner-Tatum says there are numerous ways to avoid overprogramming and focus a child’s schedule on what is truly important.

“Kids don’t live by themselves,” she says. “Stressed kids are usually part of a stressed family. Parents should pay attention to what their days are like. If they’re running from work to dance to practice and they’re stressed, chances are their kids are stressed, too.”