Kids Today Never Seem to Have Any Downtime

[CareerJuggler]

I’ve been noticing lately that kids — mine included — hardly ever get proper downtime anymore. Between school, homework, sports, and endless clubs, their weeks are packed from morning to night. Even weekends end up filled with activities or social plans.
I know we all want to give our kids the best start and plenty of opportunities, but I can’t help thinking we’ve gone too far. When every moment is planned, there’s no space left for boredom, imagination, or just relaxing at home. I sometimes feel guilty if my child is “doing nothing,” but honestly, shouldn’t that be normal sometimes?
When I was little, we had hours of unstructured time — just roaming around, playing outside, making up games. Now, that kind of freedom feels rare.

It's so hard to balance, @CareerJuggler . I feel like I'm always getting something wrong, too much pushing / too much letting him slack off.
But I remember empty days that we filled with our own fun, too. Mostly over summer holidays, though, I think school week felt busy even without afternoon clubs or sport every day.

It’s tricky, as for example my eldest wants to play competitive sport. He won’t get into teams without doing the work, that’s what all the kids do. His friends play and he would not be happier with more downtime and watching them get ahead of him, it’s what he loves to do.

There feels something slightly ironic about having written a post with this sentiment with AI.

Don't deny it OP. The headline with every work in capitals, the em-dashes, "I've been noticing lately", *I can't help.thinking". All big give aways.

Well spotted @Friedshed

OP should have been fired her post so it didn’t scream AI- even I knew about the em dash.

Really??

😅

Oh thank god others noticed too. Just say your own words OP. What was so difficult about this non-topic that you couldn’t say it all by yourself?

Meh. AI or not…this topic depends on the child. I’m forever trying to get DD1 to reduce down her various commitments to have more free time. DD2 on the other hand has little but free time.

So long as the child is happy and not stressed out, whatever they want to do is fine.

Downtime for so many children seems to revolve around screens. So if parents want to eliminate screen time the option is to keep them busy with planned activities. It's a tricky one.

Because “downtime” consists of begging to watch tv, nope off you go to play or join a club. They don’t need hours of downtime they’ll get enough of that when they’re teenagers and it’s harder to stop them gaming/watching tv for hours

Is this really a thing people do? Why?

And I was just about to start a thread about my 6 year old who literally only wants downtime. All of her classmates seem to have very active weeks full of clubs etc and it’s like pulling teeth trying to get her to try one and actually stick with it.

I think it’s because kids don’t just go out to play for hours on end anymore so if they’re not out doing a club they are stuck in the house. Probably on a screen.

I think it does get filled up with screen time, I watched loads of TV as a kid (was also a latchkey kid). Also kids are different, mine seems to never stop, I didn’t take her to her usual club today because she’s a bit under the weather (she was still in school, just a bit tired). She then proceeded to do cartwheels while watching tv for an hour. I think she’s happier busy and on her feet tbh.