Kid Activities

I could say a thousand things about kids and activities, but I'll spare you and just share 13 thoughts:

1. I really love watching my kids do new things!
2. There is nothing better than seeing that look of accomplishment on their face when they achieve something they have worked for! I'll never forget the look on my son's face the first time he swam across the pool by himself.
3. Is there anything cuter than a little kid baseball game or a roomful of little girls in black leotards, pink tights, and ballet shoes?
   
4. Having kids in activities definitely makes life busier and more complicated!
5. It is all about having a balance. There is a point where the activities get to be too much. Kids need downtime, too, especially time at home just playing with their siblings.
6. Thankfully little kid seasons are short, so kids can try out several sports and still only have one going on at a time, meaning days off. Soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring, and swim team in the summer is a rotation that has worked well for my son.
7. It is harder to choose for my daughter because she has all the options of her brother but also ballet, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc. So far we've done ballet, gymnastics and swim lessons with her.
   
8. Click here for my post on what I want my children to know how to do before they leave home. Activities help with several of the items on this list.
   
9. I feel like sports and activities can challenge kids and push them out of their comfort zones, and that is good.
10. My clingy daughter really gained a lot of confidence through taking swim lessons where I was in an observation room and she couldn't see me.
    
11. I would like my kids to find something they really like and feel good at before they are teenagers because it will help with self-esteem during those rough junior high and high school years!
12. I am thankful for the skills my kids will learn, the friends they'll make, the memories they'll create, and the life lessons they'll experience through extracurricular activities.
13. Mostly I'm thankful that I get to be their biggest fan!

Find more Thankful Thursday at Women Taking a Stand, Thousand Words Thursday at Cheaper Than Therapy, and Thursday {Thirteen} at Happy to be @ Home.