Tags
balance, blog hops, dance, kids, Ottawa, preschool activities, swimming, yeah write
It’s 8:59 pm on Monday, August 12.
And I’m ready.
The City of Ottawa Recreation Site is about to go live for Fall Registration.
I have our family PIN. I have our client number. I have my credit card.
I have combed the Recreation Guide to find the best activities for my three-year-old at the best locations at the best times for our schedule.
I tried to find concurrently running programs for my one-year-old.
They don’t exist.
I’ve decided this is an evil plot to ensure parents have to just sit and wait outside their preschooler’s class – there in the event they are spontaneously required for a bathroom break.
I mourn the lack of foresight of city schedulers. The injustice that my one-year-old will not be able to take baby gymnastics or Kindermusik while my eldest is learning the finer points of hip hop dance.
The blame for any inability of my youngest to meet ANY milestones will forever more be placed firmly at the feet of the City of Ottawa.
After accepting we’d only book our eldest into activities this Fall; I triaged options with my husband. After much back and forth (Sportball? Muck and Mess?) we decided on swimming lessons and dance.
The clock hits 9:00 pm.
I hit REGISTER!
Unfortunately, so do about 3000 other parents across Ottawa.
As such it takes over two hours to get into the system and successfully get my child signed up for organized learning and fun.
This (refresh) gave me lots of time (Refresh) to reflect on (REFRESH)whether structured programs (REFRESH REFRESH) are really (REFRESH REFRESH REFRESH!!!) worth it under a certain age.
Don’t get me wrong. Once we’re IN, we enjoy them.
However, by way of example, my daughters also had a blast yesterday running around an empty tennis court for half an hour challenging me to catch them. They were entertained, exercising, strategizing, socializing … That’s a regular smorgasbord of preschool developmental hoopla happening.
Granted, tag in the tennis court doesn’t get me a tax credit or my kid to Wimbledon. In a world where we seem fixated on measurables and deliverables, it doesn’t “officially count” for anything, really.
As a parent, I worry if I don’t sign my children up they’ll miss out. Or worse, as a type-A, overachiever from WAY BACK, I worry they might fall behind. For instance, music helps with math skills and gymnastics with gross-motor development. I don’t want to be the mother of the nine-year-old klutz who can’t add, thinking it all could have been prevented if only we’d gotten into Salsa Babies (REFRESH! REFRESH! REFRESH!!!!).
Deep breath. On the flip side, I’ll admit it probably isn’t necessary – at least for the next couple years – to pore over the course offerings in the Recreation Guide like it’s the kiddie equivalent to the undergrad course calendar.
And tennis court tag? It was refreshing, in a no family PIN required kind of way.
I’m going to remember to do more of it.
Baby Gates Down 
Salsa babies…you’re killing me!!! In all seriousness, I did all the activities with my first child, and hardly any of them with my second, so in about 10 years, we’ll be able to see how that theory worked out 🙂
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I have the sinking feeling I will be the same way – ie: way less organized fun with the youngest – so I too should be able to report back in future re: how that goes 🙂
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Wow… its a lotta pressure raising kids where y’all live..
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A little tongue in cheek – but I suppose it can feel a little overwhelming raising them anywhere at times! Thanks for the visit 🙂
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There is no way I’d have signed my son up for anything ever if it took that much work. I hope you were able to get into the activities you wanted. Really fun piece!
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I have to admit, I certainly had a few “why bother” moments, but we did get her signed up successfully for swimming and dance, so when all was said and done – yes happy. I’m glad you liked the piece.
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Giving children a chance to enjoy activities can be stressful. In South America, most kids don’t have those options. And as you said, they get all the activities, socializing, strategizing and everything else they need from family…and are really happy.
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I think the challenge – when the opportunities are there – is just figuring out if its worth it. I read a book a few years back on how we tend to overschedule our kids and they’d be better off with more unstructured fun – so every time I feel myself getting sucked in to thinking they honestly need something formal, I try to remember that the informal stuff is important too. Thanks for the visit.
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I did a little Mommy and Me swimming, and they did soccer a couple of times, but for the most part I felt like it was better to go easy on the schedules. I loved seeing them play in the yard in the “woods,” a tiny clump of trees between my house and the neighbor’s house. We visited that house recently, and my teens were shocked at how little the woods were. There was a whole world out there for them.
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I love that about your “woods” 🙂 So very true. We didn’t have any scheduled in July or August and my two spent an awful lot of time just splashing around a wading pool we set up at the back of the driveway, doing chalk drawings and running around with the bubble mower and seemed to be satisfied for hours. Nice and simple.
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I think parents (myself included) drive themselves crazy trying to find enrichment for our their children. My mother just told us to go play in the street, and I turned out okay, sort of.
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Yeah – simple is definitely sometimes best.
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There is a lot of pressure to do “all the right things” with kids. When my eldest was four, I signed her up for dance. She looked like this little fairy – I just knew I had a future dancer on my hands. She finished the class, but didn’t much care for it. She didn’t want them to tell her HOW to dance. She already knew! You twirl around in your Tu-tu and hop up and down. I mean, duh, right? Still – they were all SO adorable in their little leotards.
Younger sister got gymanstics. They both did girl scouts a year. And they go to church with their father. The oldest now takes band at school. Really – I’m way too lazy to do much more than that!
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Yup re: all the right things – and hard to tune out all the “advice” sometimes. As for dancing, on this end my kid pretty much just does her own thing in class too, but she likes it and made some nice friends so we’re doing that one again anyway. As for the youngest – so far the eldest is just passing along her mad skills, so that’s working out well. She’s kind of mastered the twirl!
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My daughter was in a class when she was about one. While the other children who were older popped bubbles and sang she played with her doll. She learned and socialized much better when she was older.
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I found the same thing – I was very keen to do classes with my first – then I realized it was really more for ME than her. Still enjoyable – but given that, I haven’t done anywhere near as much with my youngest..
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We decided that soccer was enough to start our son off in activities. He began at three, and he’s about to be six, and he still loves it. Plus, I signed him up for karate two days a week after school. And here I am wondering if that’s too much! It never ends. Great post!
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Thanks so much for the kind words! So glad to hear soccer worked out for you. My daughter hated it – but loves swimming – so that’s the one we are sticking with. I’m sure it won’t be too much with karate and soccer – sounds like a nice combo!
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Remind me to never be a parent…just kidding. But that sounds awful.
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I remember thinking at the time it was like the 30 something mom equivalent of waiting in queue to get into a bar …. 😉
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I know that we did some organized activities growing up, but my fondest memories are of being at home, reading books and playing in the yard with neighbors.
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Agreed! I think I’m going to try and offer a blend of both – some activities; but making sure my kids have time to do (and thus find out what is) their own thing too 😉
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I remember those “signing up” days almost like a bad memory. They grow up and learn to dance just fine. Funny story!
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Thanks for the kind comment! I have to admit it was much better sitting at a computer than having to line up in person. I did that for community association soccer once and THAT is a bad memory!
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Amen. I was just discussing this subject with my husband the other day and its funny; I have the same worries. But then I think about how my oldest did all that – right down to the kindermusik (he spent the whole time running around the circle chasing another kid) and our youngest didn’t want to do any of it. We tried swimming and I practically had to drag him into the pool. But they’re both happy, well adjusted and doing fine. So I just figure everybody has their own path in life. And I hope he’ll be the one who shares my love of theater. 😉
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I think by the time you hit kid two, you also just have less time to sign up for stuff. And, you’ve also figured out that Baby Sensory class really isn’t crucial – and that mom and me classes are really more about you getting out of the house – and maybe you can just have her play in the backyard with her big sister and give them a ball, a box, and some play clothes and – ooooh – same difference as far as she’s concerned!
Agreed re: everyone having their own path. My youngest also seems more laid back than my first – but I somewhat wonder how much of that is the fact that, as parents, we’re more relaxed by this stage too…
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My boys approached this differently. My oldest participated in a lot of activities early on and my youngest isn’t interested. I worry that he’s not getting those experiences and then I think well, everybody has their own path in life. He’s doing fine, but I hope he’ll be the one who ends up sharing my interest in theatre. 😉
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Reblogged this on Baby Gates Down and commented:
I found myself thinking of this post tonight, given it is that night again – two years later.
As a note, this fall with a five and three-year-old, I CAN find each of their swimming lessons AT THE SAME TIME ON THE SAME EVENING.
And even better? Last week, when my daycare provider was on holidays, I found a full day preschool aqua-camp for 3 to 5 year olds which I could register them both in.
AND it was on the way to work. With before and after-care included.
As for the balance between scheduled programming and free-play?
I think we’re doing pretty good.
They’re both buddies with the boy next door and play over there after work some days as does the other little boy across the street. He has a BOUNCY CASTLE, which almost makes his yard the equivalent to the pub in preschool-land (although he hangs at our place sometimes too).
But we’ll also be registering for swim lessons and dance this fall. My eldest will also probably try group piano lessons for two months.
Wish me registration luck tonight! And good luck to anyone else doing the same!
Sigh – I think this is the parental first sign of fall…
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