PPP102: Is Squirrel Syndrome Driving You Nutz!?

23Jul 2018 by Shelly Davis

Can you believe that it’s already the middle of July? As we get ready to head back to school and all the opportunities that are offered, I’d like to talk about squirrel syndrome or being too easily distracted. In terms of parenting, I think of Squirrel Syndrome as being compelled to sign our children up for every extra-curricular activity we are aware of. My fear, instead of giving them the opportunity to be successful at any activity, we are causing them, and ourselves, to be pressured and stressed out and stretched too thin.

Listen to the full episode here

Parents want the best for their children

As parents, we want what is best for our children. We want to be able to give them opportunities that we didn’t have. We want our children to be well-rounded, through team activities, or additional academics. These things are well and good, within reason. For me, I didn’t push my children when it came to extracurricular activities. I wanted them to have as much of a normal high school experience as they were interested in. It is up to you as the parent to decide how much you want your child to be involved in and invested in.

The blessing of boredom

Too much of a good thing is simply too much, right?

My idea of luxury is to be alone in my own home (in small doses). I love my family, but it is nice to have some downtime to think and recharge. I htink the same thing is valuable for children. To let them have unscheduled and unstructured time for them to think and to create and entertain themselves. Children are naturally creative and many times that creativity is squelched when they are overloaded with things to do.

Michelle Caskey from Homeschool Your Boys.com gives four tips for giving your children the blessing of boredom. She suggests staying home sometimes, turning off electronics, playing outside, and finally, don’t tell your children what to do – let their imagination flourish.

How did you decide what to do?

The responsibility falls on your shoulders. You are the parent, you get to decide what your child does. How do you decide what to add and what to eliminate? My suggestion is to create a schedule. Writing out your schedule allows you to see where you can add an activity or where you need to reprioritize. This chart, the 168 hours chart is incredibly helpful because it lists all 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. First, plug in your essentials and then look and see where there’s wiggle room for activities. Be sure to note who is more interested in the activity – you, or your kid? Children need boundaries and it is our job to protect them with those boundaries.

Conclusion

I can’t tell you what to schedule or what to eliminate, although I strongly recommend that you schedule piano lessons and plenty of practice time *wink, wink*. I am simply asking you to evaluate the activities your family and your piano kid are involved in to make sure they are helping you meet your goals. Don’t feel obligated to keep up with what other families are doing. You have my permission to be selective. Rather than feeling overwhelmed with all the activities available to your child, I hope you will find freedom in selecting only those things that are best, and leave some time for them to do nothing at all.