Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Paying to play

My son's school hours are changing this year to an earlier time, which will free up a few hours in the afternoon. Well, at least for him - my working hours haven't changed. But this upcoming schedule shift made me wonder if he will eventually get bored in the afternoons and want to add another activity to his schedule.

Like a sport.

This topic has come up in conversation several times before in our family: Would our son like to play a sport? The answer (from him) is that he doesn't want to trade out the other activities that he is in to start a new one. This may not always be the case.

I am secretly relieved by this answer, as the scheduling gymnastics that parents often have to go through to get their children to games and practices has worried me. But there is another factor that also makes me (and many other parents) cringe: The cost of playing sports has steadily risen over the years. Beyond the costs for uniforms and registration fees, there are all the ancillary costs of traveling to out-of-town games and tournaments that need to be considered in the family budget. (The article on that link has a list of average costs associated with most sports.)

While I fully understand that my son's activities are going to affect our time and family budget, I think it is a good idea to understand what those impacts are before signing him up.

For now, I will have to wait and see how he handles his afternoons and if he needs more ways to enjoy healthy play.

Were you surprised at the costs when your child joined a sport? Tell me in the comments.

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