We over-schedule our kids.
Ok, so what of those things that they are over-scheduled with will they keep doing after high-school?
Sitting in a display of “hidden” talents with the sisters in
my congregation tonight, I had a sad realization. People have told me that high
school is a bubble, but I realized a whole new side of it tonight. The sports, the
music, drama-teams, 4-H, clubs... these are incredible opportunities for people
to have and be a part of. But after high school is over, unless you make money
from whatever that talent was, it isn’t very likely you’ll keep it up! (I think it took me so long to realize this because I have been in a university bubble).
There is a time and place for everything, sure. But does
that mean after high school/university all your life will consist of is
work/family? That is a pretty dreary life to look forward to… Sadly, though, it
seems to be too normal. As I talk with
mothers and I ask them what else they do besides work/stay-at-home-parent, and
what else do they do to add balance in their life or provide meaning, more than
one woman has responded with “That’s the million dollar question,” with a
regretful/reproachful laugh.
There were women at this forum who sang
beautifully, played instruments, recited poetry, etc, albeit a bit rustily.
Some talents you can easily incorporate into family life: sewing, baking, genealogy,
painting, quilting, and knitting. But what of the soccer teams, gymnastics and dance
classes, bands, private music lessons, language clubs, team sports? (Don’t tell
me to just be a soccer-mom. That doesn’t fix MY need to play the sport.)
I vividly remember as a teenager wishing for kid toys that were
built to adult-scale. How come the kiddies get all this fun stuff, but not
older people? Didn’t seem fair.
I am a swimmer. Was in high school, kept it up after, and I
still consider myself as such. It is easy enough to find a pool open for lap
swim in the mornings. Ok, I can keep that up. But what about music?
I have been involved in the creation of music since I began
taking piano lesson at age 8. I didn’t love it then. That came later. By the
time I had a full ride scholarship to University on my musical abilities and my
good grades, I was becoming aware of the ties that bind my soul to the need for
the creation of music. Playing music
alone is only for practical purposes- to master skills (the exception to that
rule is piano). The real beauty of playing an instrument comes when you combine
multiple instruments. This creates an explosion of harmony and depth that
carries you away on crashing waves and then gentle breezes. There is an
indescribable emotion that catapults my heart into a musical universe of bliss,
where emotions are felt so acutely, described so clearly and intensely, in a
language that transcends words, that you feel them all as though they were
your own. They do, in fact, become your own through such an experience. It wasn’t until I had a semester break from
bands and orchestras that I realized the desire, and need, within me to be a part of it.
As the saying goes, depravity is the greatest motivator. Every time I return my
horn, it doesn’t take very many months before I’ll be in some audience where a piece
of orchestrated divinity is played that entirely wraps me up, fills me up, and
bursts out my eyes in tears of bliss that remind me… I am tied from the very
innermost part of my being to the need for, and love of, creating and appreciating
music.
But I don’t own a horn. It isn’t my job, and it isn’t my
child, lol. As an adult trying to look
into the future, I squint into the bleak unknown and am decidedly sure that what
I see doesn’t fit me into playing a horn. Well I guess I need to change the
precedent, then. Perhaps I can’t continue all of the hyper-scheduling I could have
enjoyed as a kid and wanted to enjoy in university: the gymnastics and ballet and
musical theatre and singing lessons and tai chi and …. you get the picture. Who knows, all those things might have a
place in the future. But I am sure that I don’t want to “live my life through my
kids” aka put them in musical theatre because I wish I could be in it.
I think
parents can still be involved in ‘extra-curricular activities’, (our curriculum
now being our work and kids? Lol). Obviously there must be balance, and the
point is absolutely not to make mothers feel even more overwhelmed, but from
the discussions I’ve had so far I think that mothers do very well to have an ‘other’
in their lives, and that that ‘other’ can be of great worth and value to them
personally.
Will my ‘other’ be playing the horn? I’m not sure yet, but tonight was another one
of those ‘I’m lacking music and music just reduced me to tears’ moments, which
was, interestingly, a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
What are the ‘others’ that keep your lives in balance? I
hope you have one and didn’t leave them all behind in highschool! (But don’t
worry if you did, it’s never too late to start up again, as I continue to
realize). J
Following the spirit is the most important key here. Heavenly Father has a plan for our "free time," if we can call it that when it really belongs to him. Recreation and down time are necessary, but I very of few people who go about it efficiently/correctly.
ReplyDeleteFor me, service has been the overarching guide to what I do in my discretionary time. I've spent a lot of time seeking out and teaching those who want to learn to sew. I've also spent time working on gifts for family that involve sewing.
Recently, in fact, I decided to do a large sewing project that is just for my self and I couldn't bring myself to do it - it was just to selfish a use of that much time. Once I incorporated Christ into this project and found a way to make it meaningful for my family for years to come, I felt good about pursuing it.
I've also spent the last two months teaching a girl how to swim because she has a dream of being on the swim team, but almost zero ability. She can now swim all four strokes, do flip turns, and dive(sort of, we're still working on that). The team starts practicing in 10 days, and she's on it. Things like this are so rewarding for me!