This summer, I’m not overscheduling my kids.
And before anyone comes for me — this is absolutely not judgment toward the families who genuinely love the sports life, the travel teams, the packed schedules, the constant practices, or the families raising little athletes who truly thrive in that environment. I honestly admire the dedication. Community matters. Commitment matters. Discipline matters. There is so much beauty in that lifestyle for many families.
We have our share of activities too. We’ve done jiu-jitsu. We’re currently enrolled in music lessons. We’ll probably do a recreational sport this summer just to move our bodies, have fun, and get outside.
But unless one of my bambino’s suddenly wakes up as the next soccer prodigy… I just can’t pretend our family thrives on a calendar that looks like a corporate logistics spreadsheet.
And sometimes I feel like families with this mindset are becoming the minority and sometimes made to feel “behind” in a way.
Somewhere along the way, parenting started feeling like if your child isn’t enrolled in three to five organized activities at all times, you’re somehow falling behind. Like childhood has become this constant race to optimize every hour of their lives.
Meanwhile, I’m over here wanting my kids to ride their bikes outside, get bored sometimes, build forts, jump in the pool, ask for ice cream at 4 PM, and have enough wiggle room in their lives to simply exist without rushing from one thing to the next every single day.
I think there’s tremendous value in slow time.
And no, slow doesn’t mean lazy.
Slow doesn’t mean uninvolved.
Slow doesn’t mean we don’t value movement, sports, enrichment, community, or structure. Because we ARE involved with a very prominent invisible boundary line for our time.
It just means we also value rest.
Family dinners.
Unstructured play.
Weekends that aren’t fully consumed.
Space to breathe.
I think a lot of parents feel pressure right now.
Pressure to keep up. Pressure to enroll. Pressure to maximize childhood. And if that genuinely aligns with your child and your family rhythm, amazing. Truly. I am in AWE at the capes some parents wear to make it all happen! I see you and I salute you – rockstar status.
But I also think it’s okay if it doesn’t.
It’s okay to say no to another activity.
It’s okay if your weekends aren’t booked solid.
It’s okay if your child’s childhood feels a little slower.
Our kids do not need to earn exhaustion in order to have a meaningful childhood.
In our house, outdoor time is non-negotiable. We’re definitely not fully “90’s kids parenting” over here because we are still a tech family — that’s a conversation for another day — but we try really hard to balance a little bit of everything and our family is thriving because it is what works for us.
And honestly? Some of my favorite memories with my boys happen in the in-between moments anyway.
Bike rides. Spotting lizards and creepy crawlies on the floor.
Pool afternoons.
A random stop for ice cream.
Windows down. Music on. No rush to be anywhere.
That kind of childhood matters too.
You’re doing amazing mamas.
