Opportunities and Extracurricular Activities

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A while back I came across this article talking about how much Canadian parents are spending on extracurricular activities for their kids. It's an interesting read for many reasons. For example, consider the following paragraph:
The poll, which quizzed around 1,000 parents across the country, finds that 55 per cent of families feel stretched thin because of after-school programs. Almost a third (32 per cent) are now using debt to fund those costs, up a whopping five percentage points since Ipsos and Global News ran a similar survey last year.
I have often felt the pressure to be giving my children every opportunity imaginable: hockey, baseball, music lessons, dirt-biking, hunting, camping, skiing, swimming, learning other languages, etc. Sometimes I hear of the many activities other kids are busy with and I begin to feel guilty for not giving my kids more opportunities. The article even addresses the feeling of guilt that parents have which lead them to shell out the cash (or mount the debt) to pay for these things. So, clearly, I'm not the only one who feels this pressure at times.

As Christians, however, we need to test all of this against the Scriptures. And when we do, we see that "providing your kids with an abundance of opportunities" is not part of the requirements for faithful parenting. In fact, we should resist getting caught up in this way of thinking. My point is not that placing our kids in various activities is bad, but that this is not how we should define ourselves as parents. We should never feel guilty because we cannot afford (financially or temporally) a given extracurricular for our children, nor should we put our kids in activities because of some pressure we feel which isn't coming from a clear command or implication from Scripture.

In Ephesians 6:4, Paul has a brief exhortation to fathers:
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
The reality is, this could be heeded without ever putting a child in a single sport. On the flip side, it is possible to be unfaithful to this command while putting our kids in a ton of extracurricular activities.

Again, the point here is not to criticize the desire to give our kids various opportunities. Many of these things are helpful for developing and teaching character and giving a child skills that are valuable for life and even worship (e.g. learning to play piano). Further, making some sacrifices in order to give our kids certain opportunities can also be noble and good! However, if you feel the pressure and guilt for not having your kids doing enough stuff, remind yourself of the truth of God's Word. Busyness and putting our kids in many extracurricular activities are not how God defines faithful parenting. Let's keep the main things the main things, and let's freely take part in or abstain from activities as wisdom dictates (not as the feeling of pressure dictates)!

There are enough reasons parents feel guilty; we should not make new laws and demands with which to club ourselves. There is much freedom here to take part or not take part! Only, let us not forsake raising our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord!

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