Baseball practice, piano practice, dance class, after school activities, homework, family night, church activities – are our kids doing too much? It’s an epidemic that is sweeping through our homes. It’s about giving our kids what we never had growing up, but too much can be a bad thing.

While children are in school, it should be their primary focus. When we add too many activities during the evening, we are limiting the time they can spend doing homework or reading. Plus, you are talking away what little family time is available when kids are in school.

If you want your child to participate in other activities, try limiting the number of extracurricular classes they take. You can try different classes in different years, allowing your child to find the activities that they enjoy best and are good at. Let them take dance or soccer one year, and piano or softball the following year.

Limiting our evening activities will also help our children. If they come home and you are stressed out, trying to get too many things done in the evening, that is going to roll down to your children and cause them more stress. Make your evenings a quiet and peaceful time, where you can help your children with their homework and spend some time together.

Every parent wants the best for their child, but realizing now that giving them everything may not be best will help your child do better in school and have a stress free childhood. Giving them limitations will help them learn self-control and they will be more balanced as adults. In our fast paced society, it’s a good idea to teach your child about what is most important – family and learning.