http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores All 3 take a 1 hour instrument lesson a week and on Saturday morning everyone does there chores and laundry. It's not that they get tons of homework....but my middle child is always disorganized and distracted. Homework always ends up taking double that amount of time it needs too. Turning the weekend into a punishment for all. Any plans that were made now end up broken and it's not fair to the others who did what they needed to do. To top it all off bothe boys are now talking about joining the swim team!!! GreatSchools en-us cavira We make sure school business is taking care of first. With 4 kids you have to have a schedule. All after school activities or any activites are planed in the ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=1#comment_248913 5100.248913 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:29:56 -0700 ljmem55 Hi I am new to this but your question caught my attention- I think just managing your time would make things better. Explain to your kids that with extra things ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=1#comment_242494 5100.242494 Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:27:36 -0700 scubakj My child is a bit younger and thankfully I have not yet experienced this problem. But I have friends that have! To one of my friends, it was worth the ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=1#comment_241722 5100.241722 Sat, 30 Aug 2008 07:27:35 -0700 maggie93215 School is much more important now than ever, so my childs first priority over games, movies, after school activities, and sports is homework. My 9yr old has a routine, come ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=1#comment_241402 5100.241402 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:00:48 -0700 1momand4boys I guess what my motto is "school comes first". If my child can't keep up on school work then he won't be able to do any extra activities. I wouldn't ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=1#comment_240737 5100.240737 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:07:04 -0700 Anonymous If you have a middle schooler and kids of other ages, I think you're probably finding that "family plans" don't work much anymore. They're independent, have independent schedules, and should ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=2#comment_238740 5100.238740 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:26:43 -0700 MSMomm I'm so with you regarding homework becoming an all-consuming chore in the evening. My son has organizational issues and also becomes distracted while doing homework. We have him do his ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=2#comment_238678 5100.238678 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:41:55 -0700 1seremen It depends on what works for your children and family. Does their many activities get on the way of school work and family time.I think a reasonable activities helps children ... http://community.greatschools.net/q-and-a/238615/Im-not-sure-how-to-have-my-kids-balance-school-activities--chores?cpage=2#comment_238662 5100.238662 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:33:04 -0700