what made you decide to do what you do?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
what made you decide to do what you do?
1246
Wed, 05-21-2003 - 12:18pm
In the interest of changing the subject back to something that is actually relevant to a SAH/WOH debate (LOL!), I will pose a question to anyone who wants to answer:

Who or what would you say was the greatest influence on your decision to SAH or WOH, whichever one you do (or want to do, if you aren't doing what you want)? Did any particular person, circumstance, situation, or anything else lead you to decide this question one way or the other?

What if two different influences conflicted? How did you make the decision then?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:47pm
Opportunity is not born out of downtime.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:49pm
And you would assume wrong (not a big surprise). playstation has never been a problem in this house. Ground rules are often set before a product is purchased in the first place because we as parents do know what is best for our child. And yes, he does find plenty of physical activity opportunities to indulge in and does quite well. Flop in a chair? Yeah right. Obviously you really don't know my 7yo boy lol And your fascination with board games (as it was one of many examples I gave) is truly intriguing lol My DS does love to read and will read a whole book (90+) pages in an afternoon. I don't see reading as a bad thing especially when in conjunction w/plenty of other outlets, both physical and non-physical types.
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2002
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:52pm
I'm not only referring to sports like baseball and soccer and hockey that keep "scores". I'm more referring to non-competitive sports, such as fishing, running, swimming, gymnastics, dance, etc. Those are things you CAN compete in, however, that isn't something that you have to compete in to enjoy.

It can also refer to other activities, such as art classes, piano, religious classes, etc. Those are things you can use to compete with others, but it isn't necessary that you compete to enjoy it.

So, my question was, if a person is not "competing" in any of the above activities, can it still be valuable to a child and/or adult?

Okmrsmommy-36, CPmom to DD-16 and DS-14

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-13-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:55pm
From the wisdom of Opinion comes this gem, "Oh, I think books are generally way over rated for their intellectual value." Ah yes - life according to Opinion - It's a unique perspective, I'll give it that.
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:56pm
Swimming only, just started this month. Golf on the few occasions (haven't been out yet this spring). No, our schedule isn't getting busy at all. Dh and Ds golf for recreation and it is whenever they desire to pick up and go off to a course. May be once a week, may be once a month. I'd not call that a schedule, but perhaps you would lol Swim is 45 minutes 2x a week so that is his one activity that will go May-Dec.

See, again you assumed wrong. Again, no surprise lol

The swim team, if in his future, would continue to be his one activity then. See, how simple it really is?

Researching? No, one activity at a time is the ground rules for this family. Period.

Your clueless by your posting, clueless, but you always have been, so what is new? Nothing!

Yeah, viewing sports is dull for adults. My brother wouldn't give you 2 cents for a sporting event to view, he hates sports. Mom pushed into sports, basketball, tennis, etc. He hated it! So that doesn't always work, oops, another one of your grand theories tossed out the window, hmmm!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 3:57pm
Oh, actually, I'm pretty sure most kids can handle both sports and a school play. A school play is an event, not an ongoing continuous committment. Tends to be that way. The kids who get the leads, probably all over everything. Tends to be that way in life.

The nice thing about school plays I guess, if you want to encourage your child that way, is you really don't have to do a thing about it. Someone will just walk up one day and hand them the option of participating. No problem for you. Now if the child decides that they are really into the performing arts, drama or theatre, or whatever, at say, 12 yrs or something...you will find them wishing they'd had some real dance background. Almost without exception. Because a whole hoard of other kids will have it, already. Its a great leg up for kids going in that direction, opens more doors, gives them more directions to go in. I remember the theatre kids, yes, lots of dance. In fact, lots of ballet it used to be, might have openned up a bit now. In fact, I know it has. But, you probably already know that.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 4:02pm
If a kid wants to be a competitive swimmer, then she will swim laps but otherwise, playing "sharks" will provide the necessary exercise and also fun. "Exercise" doesn't have to be an organized activity/traditional sport. What is beneficial to your cardiovascular system is getting your heart rate up by exerting yourself. What is beneficial to building your muscles and strengthening your bones is exercise with some impact.

I also don't agree with you on your opinion about reading. It IS good to read -- read anything -- newspaper, magazines, books. I will encourage my dd when she's old enough to read everything -- even trashy novels if she wants to -- it's the love of reading that i want to foster.

-- come on... I think you know better than that. That's the beauty of books... it encourages the reader's imagination to flow...

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-28-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 4:03pm
but downtime allows one to reflect
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-08-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 4:03pm
Yes. I could give you a list of names, their addresses, and phone numbers if I were so obliged to divulge such personal and private information of other's. I've seen it. It is fact. It happens right here in the good ol' USA and Central Kentucky. While you don't think so, we are living the life style we desire to live and how we choose to raise our kids with our life style. Your life style is yours (yours being the main important word). It is not one others will always won't. I don't. Thank you very much. I didn't say my rule of one activity at a time had anything to do with takeout or ordering in. I didn't say that at all (again, you assumed wrong). I said the people I know that are doing this eat like this also. True fact here! Well, if your kids can do 1-2hrs of home work in the 45 minutes they have between commuting home from school, preparing to go to their activity and the time they have to be there then applause, applause. I don't see how they can fit 1-2 hrs of sit down work into 45min like that, but hey, you've said so many far outrageous things about you and your family, I believe you, I believe you lol

Nope, didn't make it up. You know, if you have no experience with these situations or if you've never heard/seen them in your own little part of the big world doesn't mean they are not true, still factual information as experienced by others (gasp, we have experiences unlike yours, we have views unlike yours, whatever is the world coming to that we have our own lifestyles and minds???)

Can't? Your saying it can't? Well, I know people who do this for real, so your can't is only in your imagination. Now who is pretending the world is all accoridng to opinion 123 once again?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 05-28-2003 - 4:03pm
Grinding to a skreeching halt here. I'm going to have to start doing drugs, become an adict, fry my brain, to keep up with you people. You didn't invent the Rita Skeeter routine, not by a long shot. But as such an avid practionner of it, I'd think you'd RECOGNIZE it when you see it. What I posted

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December to March, for example...what tends to happen as they get older, especially if they are good at anything, is that they get expensive.

Kid1

gym Mon 4:30-7:30

music Tues 7:00-7:30 bi-weekly

brownies Thurs 6:30-8:00

gym Fri 4:30-7:30

hockey Sat 1hr (6am - 4pm)

hockey Sun 1hr (6am - 4pm)

rep soccer try-outs/practice Sun 2:30-4:00 (Dad coaching)

Kid2

gym Mon 6:30-8:00

music Tues 7:00-7:30 bi-weekly

gym Fri 6:30-8:00

hockey Sat 1hr (6am - 4pm)

hockey Sun 1hr (6am - 4pm)

skiing lessons Sun 10:00-2:00pm (Mom also in ski lessons>>

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