10 Signs Your Kids Are Overscheduled

You Never See Your Kid Just Doing Nothing

Replay some mental pictures of your child over the past week. If all your images are of him or her on the go—heading to an appointment, on the way back from one, doing homework, practicing an instrument—and there are not many moments of quiet and relaxation, your kid is too busy. “Every hour kids come into my office and throw themselves onto my couch complaining that they are overbooked with too many appointments,” says Dr. Fran Walfish, a child psychologist and author of The Self-Aware Parent: Resolving Conflict and Building A Better Bond with Your Child. “All they want is down time,” she says.