Soccer practice, ice skating lessons, piano recitals, birthday parties, a full homework load and several school projects on the horizon – our kids’ lives can make the busiest Silicon Valley exec’s schedule look manageable.
Meg Durbin, M.D., a board-certified pediatrician and internist at Sutter’s Palo Alto Medical Foundation, has watched the trend of over scheduled kids closely.
“In today’s competitive environment, where kids feel they need to excel at so many different things, it’s easy to become overwhelmed,” she says. “Although stress is part of our daily lives, parents shouldn’t feel powerless and neither should their children. You can help your child learn to manage stress effectively, so that he or she can live a healthy, balanced life. And in the process of helping your child, you may find that you also increase your own life balance!