Argument Essay: Should Parents Make Kids Stick With Extracurriculars?

In the article “Should Parents Make Kids Stick With Extracurriculars?”, by Bruce Feiler and KJ Dell’Antonia, there’s clearly a debate on a parent’s say in their child’s extracurricular activities. They make some very good points on both sides which has brought me to my claim. No, parents should not force their children into extracurricular activities.

The main reason parents shouldn’t be concerned is because it’s not completely necessary. For example, in the article “Should…” it states a mother’s perspective on the topic. In exact words, “Outside academics, I don’t see any reason to push my kids into anything they don’t want to do.” This shows that parents understand why a child might not want to do their homework, but that’s necessary in life. If it’s something like an instrument or sport, if you  don’t have fun doing it, you’d have no reason to ever use that skill ever again. Another mother agreed, and stated in the article, “if getting them out … to do the activity involves a battle, then… they can stay home.” In other words, is forcing your kids to do something unnecessary really worth the battle?

Also, although it may seem like no harm learning a skill you don’t enjoy, but actually you’re wasting hours on something you don’t even like to do. This may seem like an exaggeration but a mother in the article agrees as well. She says, “I see a cost in not quitting as well.” This shows a lose-lose situation by learning something you don’t want to learn. In simpler words, another mother in the article explained, “being forced to practice [something] are hours spent not finding something you love.” This statement really opened my eyes as to why getting forced into extracurricular activities comes at a cost as well.

I can see why parents might not want their kids to quit so easily on a skill they could learn. For example, a quote in the article mentioned, “I want [my kids]… to understand what it feels like to do something you don’t like, and to improve.” This would be a great lesson, if it was for something you absolutely had to do. Extracurricular activities are extra. So if the entire purpose of it is proving a point to yourself, then you don’t need it in your life. So what are you really gaining from this, other than determination for a skill you don’t even like?

In conclusion, parents should not force their kids into extracurriculars It should practically be entirely up to the child. Even if it’s good to have the skill of determination, its better to learn that with something you actually look forward to learning. This is an important subject, because this is a real issue that happen to many kids and parents. Also, kids might really benefit from this debate.