Hey—I’m KJ Dell’Antonia, and this is 3 Tips in 3 Minutes—the how to be happier traveling for kids’ sports and activities edition.
Think you travel way more for your kids’ activities than your parents did for yours? You’re right. Travel for youth sports is a 9 billion dollar a year industry, and that doesn’t include travel for youth music events, robotics leagues and endless other activities. If you’re always on the road for kid stuff, take comfort in the fact that you’re part of the new normal, and so am I–I recorded this from my car in the frozen tundra of Maine, four hours from home on an overnight for my younger daughter’s hockey team, and here’s my biggest happier parent idea—don’t make it all about your kid. Make it work, and make it fun, for you, too.
Do the math. Be realistic about what a sport or activity is going to ask of you and your family in time and money, and budget accordingly. It’s hard to have fun if you’re in over your head in cash or in attention and time devoted to one child above others. And if you’re counting on this activity to put a kid through college, take a hard look at the data. Most of us are better off spending money on tutors than batting coaches.
Second tip: Make part of every trip your own. If you’re driving, you get to add stops. Allow time to check out a bakery in a new town, or take the child who isn’t singing in the state choir to a bike shop or playground. Take extra time for your own hobby—put your bike or running shoes in the car with the sports gear. You don’t have to go to the team lunch if you’d rather stop and see an old friend’s new baby. It’s not good for your kids to be calling the shots while you pay the bills.
Finally,you don’t always have to go. Seriously. Look at it this way—it’s an adventure for your kids to travel with other families or just with the team. Don’t take that away from them. Sometimes it’s good for everybody to do his or her own thing.
And that’s all I’ve got! Thanks for watching, and I‘ll be back with more from Studio KJ soon.