Parents refusing to give up their kids paid activities

[Tradd]

The FB frugality groups I’m a member of are just a gold mine! In talking with a number of local people I know, they’ve all cancelled their kids paid activities with the current economic situation. Every thing frkm expensive travel sports to classes at the Y. I decided to ask about it on the frugality groups. A pretty big number are refusing to cancel any and all kids activities. Some flat out said they were putting their families in financial straits by continuing the kids activities. They didn’t care if they were going to have issues paying their mortgage or utilities. I know travel sports can run several thousand a month from a coworker whose kid did them pre-Covid.

I don’t get the mentality.

[bae]

My kid’s main activity was 4H, which turned a profit.

[Tradd]

My kid’s main activity was 4H, which turned a profit.

I remember that! Cows or pigs, I can’t remember.

[catherine]

I think if I were back in that position I would continue to pay for activities that they seemed interested in, did well in, and truly benefited from. Kids don't have to do everything that's offered. IMHO, my grandmother wasted her money on me, with her generous gift of a piano lessons and a used piano.

[Tradd]

I think if I were back in that position I would continue to pay for activities that they seemed interested in, did well in, and truly benefited from. Kids don't have to do everything that's offered. IMHO, my grandmother wasted her money on me, with her generous gift of a piano lessons and a used piano.

So you would continue paying for an activity such as piano lessons even if the money spent on them was causing you to be short on grocery money or the mortgage payment?

[catherine]

So you would continue paying for an activity such as piano lessons even if the money spent on them was causing you to be short on grocery money or the mortgage payment?

No, I'm saying that if there is one activity that the child is benefiting from, and they were talented in that activity, that would be the one activity I would do whatever I could to keep.

In my case, my grandmother should have saved her money.

[Tradd]

No, I'm saying that if there is one activity that the child is benefiting from, and they were talented in that activity, that would be the one activity I would do whatever I could to keep.

In my case, my grandmother should have saved her money.

So if you couldn’t pay for activity, you would stop it? That’s the mentality I’m massively struggling to understand. There are plenty of people who are saying they would continue with the paid activities NO MATTER WHAT even if it put them in a very bad way.

[catherine]

So if you couldn’t pay for activity, you would stop it? That’s the mentality I’m massively struggling to understand. There are plenty of people who are saying they would continue with the paid activities NO MATTER WHAT even if it put them in a very bad way.

No, if I were going into debt to support that, I'd defer the activities until I could afford it. If it were piano lessons, maybe get the kid one of those fake keyboards like River Phoenix had in Running on Empty (great film). Maybe if it were art lessons, they could do free or cheap online tutorials for the time being. If it were expensive sports, that's tough. It's hard to drop out of a sports team and then get back on. Then maybe I'd find the money somewhere. I've seen the devastation of having to deny children from their interests and passions, and it's not healthy for the kids. Ask me how I know.

[Tradd]

There’s often local teams. No need to pay thousands a month for traveling sports. I think some parents push the kids to do that thinking they will get college scholarship money and end up with nothing.

[iris lilies]

There’s often local teams. No need to pay thousands a month for traveling sports. I think some parents push the kids to do that thinking they will get college scholarship money and end up with nothing.

I am often in hotels on weekends when traveling sports teams hit the hotel with their dozens of screaming children. I would like to do without that.

These things like traveling sports teams are expensive because people will pay for it. It seems silly to me.