How many days of the week do you or your DC have "commitments"?

[whereiscaroline]

I'm not talking about school or work but other commitments - hobbies/sports clubs.

I'm feeling frazzled at the moment despite my one DC being a teenager and wondering if it's due to too many commitments.

At the moment one or the other of us has a club every day of the week except Monday and Thursday. It feels too much but I'm not sure if I'm being a bit pathetic!

Far, far less than 2 years ago. Used to be something every weekday. Now we are down to a busy Wednesday and Thursday with athletics, cubs and swimming. Scouts on Friday but that's mid evening not straight after school. Football on a Sunday morning for the younger one too but its casual not team.

every bloody day. DH is quite sporty but I feel drained, I'm usually the one at home cooking dinner with a three year old and rushing around whilst he stands and watched kids for an hour or so. It's a sore point at the moment....

DD has 4, DS has 3, I have 1 and an optional 2nd thing. Weekends are always optional, just parkrun and junior parkrun as regular options.

DD is 6 and very much needs the extra exercise to manage behaviour.

DDs are 6 and 8 and do Beavers/Cubs one night and Stagecoach one night. They seem to be permanently knackered so although I want them to do swimming lessons I think it might finish them off!

Me and DH don't have any firm commitments we just fit in a run or a swim whenever it's convenient.

No DCs here. I have three every week, four if I can fit it in on a Friday morning.

DS6 has evening activities on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings and Saturday morning. We also do a lot of other things / play dates and he seems to be going to a lot more parties.

Dc do most of them at school including in longer lunchtimes so it really takes a load off - one does five a week already just then

Then a few more at weekend

Mon - DC1 works (2 hrs after school), then football; DC2 - table tennis and football; DC 3 judo
Tues - DC1 -school sports fixtures; DH - football
Weds - DC1 netball; DC2 football and scouts; DC3 - scouts
Thurs - DC1 and 2 - school sports fixtures; DC3 - drama
Fri - NOTHING :)
Sat - DC1 - fortnightly netball fixtures, DC 2 - football
Sun - DC2 - several football fixtures a month
Plus two of them involved in school orchestra, so busy with that sometimes.

So loads, but they are young teens so I'm mostly pleased they are doing lots of sports and activities. As individuals, I think they have enough downtime, but it is a bit of a logistical nightmare though. I have no regular commitments - I did have an exercise class pre-Covid, but haven't quite managed to reinstate it what with everyone else's stuff.

Mon nothing after school but one dc has a weekly medical appointment after lunch which always makes it feel a bit hectic with rushing to get back in time to pick up other dc.

Tue
Dc2 sport
Dp sport

Wed
Dc3 sport
Me yoga

Thur
DP sport

Fri
Nothing

Sat
Dc2 sport (morning)

Sun
DP sport (eve)

@daisypond

I don’t understand why you would feel frazzled over your teen’s hobbies, though. What’s there to be frazzled about? Why do you think it’s too much? Mine are older now, but one of my teens did her hobby six days a week - five evenings after school and several hours on Saturday. As long as she kept up with school, it was fine. Another did bits and bobs of different hobbies as a teen - it also was fine.

It's not just DS' hobbies, it's mine too.

None are local so mean driving of an evening and being out of the house. I'm a single parent so all the ferrying is on me. It probably doesn't help that I have a 90 mile round commute and a full on job.

But to your point, this is kind of what I'm trying to gauge. Are we over committed or should I be worrying about how knackered it's all making me feel!

Some of the schedules on here make me feel pooped just reading them!

Ours looks like this:

Monday my sport 6am, free evening
Tuesday DS sport - get home 8pm
Wednesday my sport - get home 9pm
Thursday free evening
Friday DS sport - get home 9.15pm
Saturday morning - my sport starts 8am
Sunday - DS sport all afternoon

DS 10 has after school club run by a charity, separate from the school, 3 nights a week.

Monday - Dancing 10yo
Tuesday - Dancing 4yo and 10yo Wendsneday - Dancing 10yo
Thursday - My favourite day as my working week has finished and no dancing (except from every now and again for a private lesson)
Friday - Gymnastics 10yo

I only work 3 days a week within school hours but I do find it too much sometimes being out for activities most nights and trying to keep the house tidy, laundry etc. I don't know how people who work full time and have multiple children do it!

DS football training 5-6 then 6.30-7.30 Thurs and 5-6 Fri then matches Sat AM and Sun AM.

Me: Tues, Weds daytimes. Monday evening every week and at least one Wednesday evening a month.
DC: clubs every weekday after school.

Two. DD has Parkour and Scouts on Thursdays and Circus School on Saturdays, me and DS have gymnastics together on Thursdays as well. Thursdays are a bit of a whirlwind, especially for DD as she comes home from school, has about half an hour to have a quick snack and get homework done, then back to school for parkour, then back home, then off to scouts an hour and a half later, but at least the other days are free.

One Saturday afternoon a month, and I still ditch it if I’m not feeling in the mood. I really resent regular commitments I’m not paid for. However, I do protect my morning exercise 4 times a week as non-negotiable, as far as everyone else is concerned.

We did have every day after school except one day. Nothing at the weekends though. My DD said it was too much, so dropped one so now 3 times a week. One is Cubs though which often extends to the weekend. But for us this feels right.

We have a tutor on Monday nights, Singing and Netball Wednesday nights, Swimming Fridays, Drama Sat mornings and Gymnastics Sunday mornings.t
It's a lot and a lot financially too.

Monday - Dd cadets
Tuesday- Dd gym DS football
Wednesday - Dd riding
Thursday DS dungeons and dragons or gym, Dd riding then Cadets
Friday- Nothing thankfully
Sat Dd rides
Sun DS football
I try to run twice a week, DH surfs, we both ski when we can.
Feels like enough to me.

They are 15&17 keeps them off the streets (mostly).

Mon: DD1 gymnastics
Tue: DD2 swimming, me tennis
Wed: nothing, although DH often plays tennis
Thu: DD1 football & tennis, DD2 gymnastics, DH tennis
Fri: me badminton
Sat: DD1 trampolining, DD2 tennis
Sun: DD1 & me archery

I do feel like it’s a bit much tbh, and sometimes I just want a weekend without any commitments, but we all really enjoy our sports so it would be difficult to decide what to stop.

Just Thursday evening for oldest dc. Couldn’t be doing with more than that!

@Chipsahoy

Just Thursday evening for oldest dc. Couldn’t be doing with more than that!

But why not? I don’t get it. If it’s down to finances, though, I understand.

@daisypond I totally understand it! I hate having to go out again once I’m home in the evening (and worse having to go out again later on to pick them up again!) I’d much rather just chill at home all evening (says the person who has just agreed to let dc2 and 3 pick up another commitment each 🤦🏻‍♀️)

We used to have something on every day (either for me, one/both of the kids or all of us) but due to medical reasons/lockdown/change of job I've cut back a fair bit. I'm hoping to get back into a better routine after new year.