My tip this week is
Seek the right level of extra curricular activities for your teen >>Listen

You’ve heard the news stories about the over-scheduling of America’s youth. Complaints about “hyper-parenting” conjure up images of out-of-control families dashing from music lessons to soccer practice to church meetings all while wolfing down dinner in the car. Does this describe your family?

You know in your gut if your teenager is over-committed, and you do want to be mindful to try and keep the commitments to a level where they don’t induce stress for your teen – or for you. There are significant benefits from participating in extra-curricular activities beyond the new skills your teen obtains, including better academic performance, less substance abuse and more functional family relationships.

What is the right level of outside activity? That has to be an individual decision, and it may be different for each one of your kids. Take into account their interests, their temperament, their ability to juggle school work with outside commitments, the relative benefits of participation, and its impact on you and your family. Be sure to put you into the equation as you evaluate this because you’re likely to be responsible for getting your teen to these activities, and to pay the bills. Each child’s activities and commitments need to be evaluated in the context of the whole family unit to make sure things work and priorities are appropriate.

Finding balance isn’t always easy when we’re raising our families, and in our busy culture it’s easy to get over-committed to the point that we add unnecessary stress to our lives. Listen to your gut if it’s telling you something needs to change; discuss options with your teenager and partner.  As the parent, you’re expected to make good choices and keep your family’s – and your teen’s - long term best interests in mind.

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Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney.