Over-Scheduled Andrew

Over-Scheduled Andrew

Picture book
When my older daughter was seven I called a classmate's mother
to invite her daughter to our house for a play date. That mom was
horrified that I let Amber play. What kind of negligent mom was I?
Her daughter had structured activities, sports, and classes scheduled
for every day.
Sadly, things seem to have gotten worse. Ashley Spires' Over-
Scheduled Andrew should give children and adults the nudge to
reflect. Could we be taking enrichment a little too far?
Andrew, a spunky chicadee, loves acting. At his teacher's
suggestion he signs up for debate club. He wins a lot of debates so a
friend suggests he join chess club. Pretty soon he's also doing
ballet, karate, tennis, school newspaper, and more...even learning
bagpipes for his grandmother.
Not surprisingly, Andrew isn't doing too well on any of his too
many activities. He decides it's time to cut down. You'll love what
he does with some of his freed up time.
On a personal note, last week had the potential to be overscheduled
for me. Fortunately I had the freedom to not take on too much. I had
plenty to do and the energy to thoroughly enjoy it and Saturday to
catch up with cleaning and laundry.
A great big shout out goes out to parents who understand the need for
and kids who fight for unstructured play time.
Jules Hathaway



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