13 Years Of Activities

When Zach graduated preschool I mentioned that K - 12 are the most important years of our life. Before then is spent preparing for that time. Afterwards, we draw on what we learned and experienced during that time as we have new experiences and learn new things. This is the time preferences are discovered and habits are established.




This is the age when kids use after school activities to figure out what kind of person they are:




Gamers
Athletes
Artsy
Technical
 Fashionistas




There might be more. But, these are all I can think of right now. Exploring all of these categories helps find what activities you like best. Helps you find your talents. It's how some people decide to be engineers and others decide to be dancers. That one might be a little too personal. Remember, my degree is in dance but my family is full of engineers.




Zach's in year 3 of the 13. For Christmas he wanted a keyboard. He plays it all of the time. He's asked for lessons. I told him he needs to take a few lessons from my mom first. Just to see how serious he is. He had one quick unplanned lesson. He can't sit still long enough to practice an instrument. I couldn't! Why do you like I loved dance?




"I've decided I am a sporty kid. I want to play a lot of sports!"- Zach




He has asked me to sign him up for soccer in the fall. He's also very excited that baseball starts again soon. He's doing basketball now. He doesn't like it this year because they don't do teams yet. But, he is willing to do next year when there are teams.




The freedom of second grade. Starting next year he'll find he can do those three things. But, a lot of the kids will have done them before. So they will be a little better. It's why I wanted him to start now. So he won't be behind. At least with baseball he won't be behind!




In high school in our town you really can only do two sports. Some kids do three. But, there is overlap making that difficult. You have to really love the game to put that time and effort in. At some point in middle school most kids decide what they are willing to invest that time and effort into doing. Fewer activities, more time on what's left.




I think the same is true with the arts and clubs. School plays take a lot of dedication and time. A lot of rehearsing. There isn't that much time for that many other activities. But, you audition knowing what you are committing to.




That's how it is with non-school activities as well. Dance, gymnastics, swimming, martial arts and other types of classes take up more of your time as you get older too. For the same reasons. But, by then I think most kids WANT to be that dedicated to something.




It's a good thing. Let's say Zach plays baseball through college but has a career as a civil engineer. He can still play baseball as a hobby. It could still be something he always enjoys. Perhaps coaching his own child's team someday. Because it's important to him. Based on a decision he made in most likely the 6th or 7th grade.




I once said. "Don't bother 'looking for yourself'. You will never 'find yourself'. Because we change too often to fully understand who we are." This is the closest we will come to understanding who we are at our core. To understanding what kind of person we are. But, we still haven't 'found ourselves'. Because we don't even understand during that time that we are discovering the roots of what makes us who we are. We can't identify that until adulthood.




At this point in time I think that one remaining sport will be baseball for Zach. He likes, but will never be serious about, playing an instrument, art, and gaming. He has a technical mind. I can see him looking for more challenging technical knowledge. Math is a major strength too. If there is a STEM club he might join it. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). It's one of the reasons he likes baseball.




But, will that interest linger come middle school when you have to try out for the team? It depends on how much independent time he puts in now. He has a T for batting practice. We have gloves to help with catch. It comes down to, how much does he use them without our encouragement?




It's interesting seeing what his classmates enjoy. Each week in library class I see what books they are drawn too. I might be experiencing the start of that deep interest dedication. Casual interests are fun, but the motivation isn't there to work hard to get better at them. These deep interests are the ones that impact the rest of your life.