Was anyone else not ferried around as a child to various clubs?

@ElizaSchuylerHamilton243 Yes, there are good services - it’s just when you specifically said piano. Keyboards are different.

Also school curriculums were more balanced with more creativity and physical activities in lesson time.

I have fond memories of the last lesson on Fridays in what then wasn't called y3 on our long term rug making project that ran through the year. Plus all the other crafty projects.

There was less pressure, more time allocated and more budget to support children learning more than the 3Rs which are now prioritised and heavily assessed.

Im late 40s. I did ballet and karate at our local church hall five minutes walk from the house so there was no ferrying around needed. I live more or less in the same area but the local classes no longer exist. DDs closest dance school is a 25 minute drive with no direct bus. She loves it and now does classes 3 times a week. I quite like the drive. Its when we have our best chats. And she has plenty time for all the other stuff she wants to do!

I know what you mean. My family thought it was very funny that I didn’t learn to ride a bike until I was ten. However I got my first bike for my tenth birthday - to learn to ride a bike, one needs to have access to one.

I don’t much like it when children are described as spoiled. If they do activities it is because their parents have decided to book and arrange them. If the activities are difficult to get to and the parents have signed them up then they will need to get them there. Should the children be grateful that the parents drive them?

I know several children who do multiple activities an evening, which seems like really hard work. I can’t imagine having to do a full day at school then rush to ballet then to gymnastics (say). Plus they then need to do their prep.

It’s always quite awkward when someone suggests that my child does an additional activity and I end up saying that, if anything, I’d like them to drop an activity rather than take up another one. Then (sometimes) they start suggesting ways that I could make it work - I mean, if it were to avert war I would, otherwise I am not going to. There’s no polite way to say that someone’s child is wildly over scheduled so I don’t.

Do you have children @Imgonnaleaveyou58 ?

When I had my kids I was adamant that they weren't going to be doing clubs every night but fast forward 10 and 7 years and they do something 4 nights a week each 🤦‍♀️ It just gradually happened over time. It is expensive but as long as they're still happy doing it and me and DH are happy to take them to the clubs I don't see the problem.

@MeetMeOnTheCorner Thank you, I'll bare that in mind :) My kids' school is in a big city where a company comes in to teach keyboard, drums, guitar and singing on a monthly subscription during the school day. So the school don't have any of the resources or a member of staff to do it but there are lessons available if that makes sense?

Edit: To clarify, the company work across 200 schools not just that one school to make it affordable!

@ElizaSchuylerHamilton243 You are highly unlikely to get piano lessons at school, unless it’s a private school. Many state schools don’t have a piano. If they do have one it’s probably not used for lessons. We didn’t have peripatetic piano teachers either. It’s usually brass, wind, or guitar. A good prep will have a decent music dept and a private secondary should have pianos but some won’t. When dc is 6 it’s time to start looking around for piano lessons.

In the 80s my mum didn’t drive so I walked to swimming lessons and brownies. My dad would drive me to brass band practice. As a teen I walked to netball and athletics which was an hours walk.

My daughter has never been interested in anything, she did swimming lessons and athletics for a year, I’d have loved her to have done more.

I lived rurally as a child. I did karate (started at school clubs) and then that progressed to being taken places. I did piano and walked to the teacher's house but this eventually ended up through school so I could do a different instrument. I did swimming lessons at school a lot (once a week for a whole term) and brownies/guides.

I think some of this reflects the change in school budgets. When I was a child, the range of visitors and music service lessons was wider and school provided swimming lessons for a large amount of time so you could actually get good. We did lifesaving certificates for long distances! Now, my children don't really have that as an option and swimming is for two weeks every two years - not frequent enough to sustain progress without lessons in your own time.

My child is starting school and will be doing 2 after school clubs and ferried by grandparents (which is lucky for us) and a Saturday morning. Long term I want her to do some piano lessons but I'm hopeful that the school might offer those if you pay for it.

I’m mid-50s. We grew up without a car so definitely no being ferried anywhere. I had a piano lesson that I walked to alone from about 9 years old, and a drama club in my teens that I got the bus to. Makes me a bit sad really, we did nothing together as a family at weekends, though we did have nice holidays abroad in my mum’s home country. My parents both worked full time with big commutes and there was no coming to watch nativity, sport days etc, and we went to school even when pretty ill.

My experience (grew up in 60s/70s in a rural area) there weren't that many clubs to be driven to, and if the family did have a car the dad had gone to work in it, and even if he hadn't, the mum didn't drive. My mom never learned to drive.

I had a largish circle of friends that I played out with most nights. Some of the girls went to brownies and some of the boys did cubs but not the majority, and the scout/brownie hut was in the park, in walking distance.

I lived in a village of a few hundred people so there was a primary school, there was guides and a lady taught piano, more cornish village than middle of nowhere, plenty of pavements. but secondary school was an hour on the bus as was the nearest swimming pool and any other organised clubs.

I did Scouts and St Johns Ambulance for a while. One of my sisters did air cadets and my brother did the sea cadets.

My son is SEND and I try to take him to a few things but they're few and far between. He's not fussed either way. I'm happy to let him lead.

We did some things after school. Some things at school too.

But not constantly ferried about.

@Lilyhatesjaz Hiw can you live very rurally and walk to guides? I can see a neighbour might give piano lessons but we have no pavements where we live and it’s all narrow country lanes and 45 minutes walk from the guide hut!

I was a child of the 70s/80s I did guides and had some piano lessons both of which I walked to.
We lived very ruraly dancing, swimming etc were an hours drive away I think my parents would have taken me to clubs if they were nearby but as it was time and money didn't allow.

Totally the same (though from 10 and it was a small city so cycled mainly). I was scouted for athletics but the idea of my parents driving me there every week (it was about a 15 min drive along a motorwat) was an absolute no.

i didn’t do any clubs. I am nearly 50.. all my friends did clubs. I ran when I got in from school from around age 12. Just to get out and do something.

In comparison my 3 all at piano. 1 additional at Drums other additional at Singing lesson. gymnastics, swimming for 1 with tennis. Tennis takes over 5 days for 3
of them as they are heavily involved in this sport. Hockey 2 sessions a week for 2 of them. Honestly they have tried years of dancing and gymnastics for other two (didn’t stick) and also did ski lesson until level 6. Writing all this sounds mental, honestly they aren’t spoiled and v grateful for all their hobbies. I wish I had the same opportunities but I am not bitter in anyway about it. Different lifestyle and incomes.

I honestly enjoy all the clubs and sports, met lovely people. However I won’t dress it up, it’s exhausting some nights and the winter is tougher. By week 5 of the summer I am craving the routine again. Also to add we both have the flexibility to pick up from 4pm at school to facilitate this. My parents didn’t have that flexibility.

I’m mid-40s and did a fair few activities throughout childhood. Brownies (then Guides), piano lessons, tap lessons, etc. My kids do a lot less (but that could be because they’re only 7 and 5 😆)

I'm mid 40s now and I was out most nights growing up, some my choice, some my parents, some of which required ferrying, some of which didnt. None were very expensive though. Although running got more expensive as I got older as I trained and raced more frequently. Sometimes races could be a long way away but we had a camper van and as my parents were both teachers, sometimes we went friday after school and came back sunday so made a weekend of it. My youngest does scouts and sometimes goes to a local youthgroup both of which require a bit of ferrying but Im happy to do it. I also expect that he will sign up to as many afterschool clubs that he can, and as winter approaches that may require a little more ferrying (as if its too dark Id rather pick him up rather than him walk). None of these cost much (apart from when he goes to an international scout jamboree 😂 and even that wasnt a bad price compared to school residentials) My eldest is now 18 and just has monthly membership to the local bouldering centre so he can go as often as he likes. He's had it since he was 14 and I used to ferry him often 2 or 3 nights a week (I'd rather take him and pick him up at night at that age especially in the winter) even though its only about a 25 minute walk. He started walking last year. Both did swimming when they were younger, that was by far the most expensive 'hobby' and required ferrying but I insisted as its a life skill (I'm thankful neither of them particularly enjoyed it and wanted to stop as soon as they were allowed 😂). Im quite thankful neither of mine took an interest in any sport or hobby that cost too much, although my youngest did ask about a theatre group which wasn't cheap (thankfully it was the same night as scouts and that won)

We did lots of activities and got ferried around but no abroad holidays and basics at home. I think it’s better than just being on iPads ???

good in winter UK.

I'm 38 and I do think there were less clubs then, I grew up in a not very affluent area which may have added to that. There's alot of pressure nowadays that your kids have these experiences and opportunities, what others do is more visible I guess.

I did do brownies and gymnastics, but mostly remember that as my dad frequently forgot to pick us up!

I wasn't taken to anything. My older sister did ballet and other dancing. We didn't have a lot of money and it was expensive and time consuming so I was just told I couldn't do anything like that. I was also reminded I'm not very good at most things so what was the point 😂
My younger sister was allowed to try a lot of different things but never stuck anything out.