OVERPROGRAMMED KIDS

A few years ago, I flew to Minnesota to interview a mom of 5 about her kids' after school activities. The community's parents, coaches and other instructors had established a pact not to "overprogram" their kids. Parents would let kids participate in only one or two activities at a time. Coaches and instructors pledged to keep practices and events to a minimum so as not to interfere with school.

I thought it was a great idea. What parent would want their child stretched so thin? Then our kids started preschool and kindergarten this year.

In the first week, I've been offered more options than I ever imagined: gymnastics, computer class, piano lessons, foreign language before and after school, Saturday enrichment classes, Girl Scouts -- and these are LITTLE kids!

I'm still against "overprogramming" kids, but I do have a better understanding why parents are tempted to do so. We want to give our kids the best, and each opportunity seems like a good one.

Gymnastics? Sure -- exercise fights childhood obesity. Piano? Music teaches discipline, which is helps kids excel in school, right? Foreign language -- great idea. Experts say this is the best age to learn. Computers? That's a no-brainer - they'll HAVE to use them. Girl Scouts -- a character-builder. You don't get more wholesome than that.

Enrichment classes? What parent doesn't want their child "enriched"?

So here I am with a bunch of fliers and decisions to make for my 3 and 5-year-olds. I also wonder about the social impact. What if my daughter is the only child in after care who didn't sign up for computers -- will she have to sit in class alone for 30 minutes, or hang out with the two-year-olds on Monday afternoons?

So you see, the decision isn't as easy as I imagined.

Clearly we can't do all those activities. If nothing else, my wallet will stop me. I think we've narrowed it down to in-school gymnastics for the preschooler, before-school Spanish for the kindergartener, and piano (once a week during after care) for both.

And that's my final answer -- as long as they don't send home any more fliers this week.

T