An article in yesterday's paper got me thinking...It said the average cost of attending a prom is $790. None of my kids have been prom goers, but there are a lot of sports fees, school trips, etc. The older kids were home schooled for a lot of their school years, but it seems like there are a lot of activities that are now "givens"--like class trips to Europe!

Since we moved about a lot, the kids aren't all that interested in class trips, but the sports fees are mounting up. Anyone else have this dilemma?

GG

I noticed the last year my kids were in school that the list of things they wanted you to have for your child to tote to school on the first day had ballooned to about $120 per child. That shocked me. It included such things as a non-spillable drink container, a backpack, a pencil box, a storage tub, and many other things that were not really critical to learning for a child of that age.

They've never done sports. They do Scouting though, and that is sometimes hard, just to afford the travel. Out here in Wyoming, it is 20 miles to where the Scouts meet, so gas ends up being the biggest portion of affording that.

We don't do lessons either. There just isn't the money or the time - or out here, the teachers!

I learned a long time ago to let go of the expectations of parents around me - I don't do the typical things, and I don't let others make me feel bad for not doing them. Our kids are very self-sufficient, generally happy, and good at socializing.

Laura
Mom to Eight

I have to say that just to get four kids in swimming lessons was tough for us at $30 a child..But, we did it. Two will go on to the next lessons, and the two smallers will not. Sports around here is just too expensive. That, and the fact that no one wins, no one looses, and we all get trophies at the end...and it's so no one's feelings get hurt. I am just not into that..You loose, you learn to play better, and harder. Getting back to it, I have been wanting to look into scouts. That seems pretty reasonable..And they do some pretty cool stuff, along with camping, which we love to do..

I think we're lucky so far that none of the kids has wanted to do something very time and money consuming--like competition ice skating or gymnastics. No way we can coordinated schedules and get up at 5am for hours of practice. Or horseback riding. Or playing an obscure instrument, so that finding lessons is a problem.
I'm real please with the value we get from the local YMCA--a family rate comes out to less than $10 per month per kid. For that we get swimming lessons, basketball, afterschool programs, drama and dance, weights. It's within walking distance of our house, and they are well funded--if you can't make the dues, you can get a "scholarship."

GG