Moms' Talk: Are We Pushing Our Children Too Hard To Succeed?

Year-round travel soccer, rec-league lacrosse, practice SATs in seventh grade, AP high school classes and church choral groups all weekend long.

There are children all over the country, including our own backyard, that are being asked to “push the envelope.” The overriding message we are sending our youth  is "do more than is expected and do it better than your peers!" 

Push! Push! Push!

 I ask, What are we pushing our children towards?

My husband and I have always looked at childhood as a time of exploration.  Our children have had limitless opportunities to explore their environment, their friends, their studies, their extra-curricular activities and their sports.

When the children were young other parents were devoting their weekends to soccer practice while we were re-charging our batteries and enjoying the park, swinging on the swings and climbing the jungle gym.

Our girls did not get involved in team sports until middle schools and they fit in perfectly.  They are not suffering at all due to lack of experience and they are playing lacrosse and field hockey well.

How have you approached sports with your children?  Do you think immersing them in team sports early on has been beneficial? And what do you think when you hear about a student taking all AP classes, playing on several teams, and participating in other extracurricular activities in an effort to "build their resume"?

I would love to see our children enjoying life more and taking joy in simpler things that childhood puts before them.  Do you think we can ever go back to simpler days when catching lightening bugs in jars and roasting marshmallows on the campfire are what summer is all about?  When building snowmen and catching snowflakes on our tongues is what makes winter fun?  And when playing outdoors takes precedence over reaching the next level on the SAT review computer program?

The documentary, Race To Nowhere, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the .