Many parents place a great deal of pressure on their teens to become involved in an impressive array of extracurricular activities. They do this because it is always an advantage to list a number of these when making college applications. I like to think that extracurricular activities should be taken for the pleasure and benefits they offer right now and let the future take care of itself. If teens engage in something they enjoy they will be happier and healthier and that should influence their desirability for particular colleges. Spare time is also important for teenagers and humans in general. It is how we refuel.

 

There is a certain fiendish cult afoot that believes that life should be a mass of frantic doing and no being. Teens are often transported from one extracurricular activity to the next in a whirling blur of excess and the misguided belief that they will become better people. Don't get me wrong; I have nothing against extracurricular activities. I do, however, believe in moderation in all things and balance along with it. Our world sometimes appears to be speeding towards some goal out front somewhere while we frantically try to keep pace, rushing from pillar to post, and wondering where on earth peace went. Teens are like adults, they need time out. We may not call it peace, the things they do to relax, but they need to do them. The bottom line is choosing extracurricular activities so that they enhance quality of life and don't dominate it.

 

If your child is sports crazy you may have to be the one preaching moderation. School is still a priority and then there are the dear little gaps that need to stay empty for soul refueling. Some parents may find they have to kick a recumbent teen off the couch and outdoors to get fresh air and exercise. Other parents will have to slow their over enthusiastic teen down to a pace that won't cause burn out. Whatever it takes, you are still the parent and as such you need to moderate your teens extracurricular activities so that they are beneficial. You will also need to see your teen on a regular basis so extracurricular routines that monopolize your child on an ongoing basis should be discouraged. Balance is the watchword. If your child cannot think beyond sport try to encourage him or her to consider other forms of participating in group activities.

 

Sport is always beneficial because it teaches teens life techniques like fair play and how to work as a team. But is not the only form of activity that edifies. Some children belong to volunteer organizations that take them right out of themselves and into a bigger reality that teaches them about a world larger and more diverse than their own. These extracurricular activities are good for the heart and soul of the child here and now as well as when they apply to college.

 

Lessons learned in organized extracurricular activities like debating or school government help your child gain invaluable lessons on how the world works. They will also experience what it feels like to make a difference and this will affect the way they participate in their society in the future. Music, drama, and art are wonderful extracurricular activities that teach teens how to express themselves in ways that can be heard. Theatre courses can prove to be valuable outlets for the heightened emotions that are so much a part of the teenage experience. And then there are the extracurricular activities for teens that are pure investments in fun for fun's sake. They are never towards the forefront so you will have to search for them. Fun is an underrated stimulus for creative growth and character enhancement. Make sure that your teen has a regular dose of it.

 

Gail W.

Boulder, Colorado

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Help your Teen Make the Most of their Summer              Reply to this Comment As the Christmas holidays come to an end and the remnants of family visits are swept under the rug, the children tire of their new toys in an ever hurrying pace and work begins anew, it seems as though the hectic pace of the holidays is put behind us yet again. If only that were so. For a teenager, or a family that houses one, the end of Christmas can only mean one thing: next stop summer vacation. As the New Year dawns, all eyes turn to those three long months where parents toil away at work while their teens run amok, gaining valuable life experiences in the arts of ‘hanging out’ and learning to disobey. Well, perhaps summer isn’t all bad, but it can certainly take its toll on a parent worried about the advancement of their child outside of the boundaries of school. In the past, parents have worked hard towards finding places that their kids can go during the summer where they can learn, experience, and stay out of mom and dad’s hair. From summer camp, sports clubs, camping trips and a week with Grandma, parents have stretched themselves fairly thin for ideas about what to do with a boisterous teen that both takes up months worth of time and provides teens with something they can actually take away from the experience. However, more often than not, teens end up apathetic (or start out that way), and turn the experience from something they could learn from to something they disdain. Perhaps this year, parents should try a new system. It is time to stop trying to impose learning experiences on your teens and start giving them something they won’t recognize as a life lesson. I mean, of course, travel. Since as far back as I can remember, the idea of backpacking Europe has been a rite of passage for affluent families in North America. In the past, however, a lack of safety, cheap flights and tour companies forced parents to wait until their teens were already emancipated before they could give them the experience of their lives. Nowadays, however, this has all changed. Companies such as Big Brother Backpacking (www.bigbrotherbackpacking.com) offer tours specifically for youths looking to do something life changing with their summer (or parents who are looking to get a little quiet time). Considered leaders in the art of teen adventure travel, Big Brother Backpacking offers small, five person group tours aimed at teaching teens the art of travel leadership while providing them with the opportunity to see something more than just their home town. As a tour company specifically aimed towards students, Big Brother Backpacking provides a coming of age European travel adventure without the worry that your child will end up spending the entire time (and allowance) in a bar in Amsterdam. Since the company allows the travelers themselves to determine where the trip will go in real-time, students are taught how to plan and execute a trip in a small group, make close friends from a variety of backgrounds, and experience Europe in a hands on way. Instead of being forced into a learning environment they will attempt to ignore, teens are given a firsthand opportunity to see what personal success through determination really means (not to mention getting a bit of much needed exercise away from the computer and a solid geography lesson). For parents willing to wait until graduation and splurge on a cross country drinking tour, there are also companies aimed towards allowing the youth to run wild for the first time. Bus tours for post grads such as Contiki tours (www.contiki.com) or European Bus Tours (www.europe-bus-tours.com) offer the chance to see a variety of bars and clubs across the continent (and maybe a site or two along the way). (Unlike a backpacking tour, however, these bus tours leave much to be desired in the way of experience, as without photos a lot of the trip’s events are mysteriously forgotten the morning after.) For parents looking to send their kids on a budgeted sightseeing trip (careful of the hidden fees), bus tours are a good way of knowing where your child is and what they are up to on any given day. Whichever you choose, remember that this summer can be different. Your child can be satisfied with learning and gaining life experience, can be kept safe, and can truly enjoy themselves doing something productive. Now it is just a matter of letting them go.                By:  Haddie        Posted: Jan 05 2010 family guy season 8 episode 13              Reply to this Comment Some children belong to volunteer organizations that take them right out of themselves and into a bigger reality that teaches them about a world larger and more diverse than their own. These extracurricular activities are good for the heart and soul of the child here and now as well as when they apply to college.                By:  CheryTen120        Posted: Mar 25 2010

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