Is the Era of the Overscheduled Kid Gone for Good?
May 26, 2022
For my family, the pandemic brought a roller coaster of emotions and physical exhaustion, complete with Zoom blaring through the house 24/7 and towering stacks of breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes from three kids and a spouse unfairly earmarked just for me. Somewhere during that, I met a neighborhood mom with a daughter similar in age to my youngest. Sadie* has a kid the grade below my then 9-year-old, Grace, and they used to take ballet at the same studio.
With her office suddenly closed, Sadie was no longer commuting, so she, her daughter, Grace, and I became a foursome for park afternoons. As seasons blended, I realized something: The pandemic stressors didn't include whether my daughter taking math enrichment might someday make a difference in her life. Sadie agreed. COVID-19 was a huge stressor as people got sick throughout our county, but both our daily mom schedules were strangely uncomplicated.
