Hi --

Is it too much? It depends.

1. Is he happy taking the lessons?
2. Are YOU finding yourself stressed by his afterschool activities?
(Ie, too much driving him, or not enough time to get ready for supper,
etc.)
3. Are the activities stressing your finances?
4. Does he have enough time to play, do homework, help you around the
house?
5. What would he be doing if he weren't doing these activities?
Something constructive (playing with friends, building legos) or
something not constructive (watching cartoons, whining that he's bored).
6. Is he getting enough rest?
7. Are there kids in the neighborhood he would be playing with
otherwise?
8. Is there a sibling being dragged around to all these activities? If
so, does that work well for the sib?

When my kids were in first grade they had violin lessons (30 minutes a
week of lesson and 15 minutes a day of practicing), Sunday school (3
hours on Sunday mornings), one team sport (1 hour/week of formal
practice), tae kwon do class (1 hour at a time, several days a week) and
often another activity, such as afterschool science club, or a drama
class.

There were no other kids near us to play with, and more formal playdates
were a bit hard to arrange (they were at a magnet school program with
kids coming from a dispersed geographic area), so the activities kept
them busy and happy. Had there been more kids in our neighborhood we'd
have limited the formal activities in favor of free play at home. We
still had plenty of free time at home, though, for kicking around,
reading, and even watching TV on a weekend.

There's really no set answer as to what is "too much". It depends upon
what works best for you and your child.

Have fun,
--Beth Kevles
-THE-COM-HERE
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the GMAIL one if you would
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