<p>^ I drank a cup of coffee this morning! Can you tell?!</p>
<p>Tom, thanks, think I will forward your comments to Pelicanchild. It is indeed a balancing act.</p>
<p>My son says he does his best thinking late at night or in the wee hours of the morning…maybe it has something to do with the old wives’ tale about the time of day he was born.</p>
<p>He isn’t bothered by it, so as long as he stays healthy…I go with the flow.</p>
<p>Thanks TomTheCat, I really appreciate that perspective. My daughter is soaking in the experience like a sponge, albeit an exhausted sponge. And that Covenant to stay out late, which she has, is insane.</p>
<p>Hi Tom,
Where are you now?
Good to hear from you. You share a lot of good insights from the “inside”…
Thanks!!!</p>
<p>Good points all. My kid does sports three seasons and music but so far hasn’t invested heavily in any ec’s–and when he thinks about starting one, he thinks a LOT about the time commitment and then, more often than not, chooses to not join (sometimes to his not very athletic Mama’s chagrin…).</p>
<p>I think high school is as good a time as any to start weighing priorities. While we all hear stories about the kids who aren’t even considered for an Ivy League (for example) unless they are good athletes AND club heads AND violin soloists, there are others who get in because they follow one or two interests with a commitment and passion simply not possible when stretched in too many directions. At the same time, as Tom points out, I can see why it’s hard for kids to resist all of those amazing opportunities. Wish I had an answer–other than to stop suggesting to my kid that he do more ec’s. :)</p>
<p>Thanks, all! While it is in large part down to the student, I do think there are plenty of perfectly realistic and feasible things that schools could do to ensure their students remain healthy and happy.</p>
<p>Performersmom, I’m at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Great city and great school. I have yet to find my niche in terms of clubs and societies, but I’m loving the school culture as well as the people I’ve met here so far - in general, very different from the people from Andover. I really miss Andover, though, and wish I could pay a visit back, especially since a speaker that I won an Abbot Grant to bring to campus is coming on the 28th! Oh, and alumni weekend is the weekend of November 12, coinciding with Andover/Exeter Weekend… I feel like I’m missing out on a lot :(</p>