Thinking Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Dallin Oaks dropped the ball (pun intended) on this one."But here is a caution for families. Suppose Church leaders reduce the time required by Church meetings and activities in order to increase the time available for families to be together. This will not achieve its intended purpose unless individual family membersâ??especially parentsâ??vigorously act to increase family togetherness and one-on-one time. Team sports and technology toys like video games and the Internet are already winning away the time of our children and youth. Surfing the Internet is not better than serving the Lord or strengthening the family. Some young men and women are skipping Church youth activities or cutting family time in order to participate in soccer leagues or to pursue various entertainments.(Dallin Oaks, Good, Better, Best, Sunday Afternoon Session, October 2007 General Conference)"Team sports are in the same "wasting time" category as video games?President Hinckley has already asked that schools not schedule activities on Monday Night.Now there appears to be a growing tendency to schedule other events on Monday night. We respectfully request that our public school officials and others let us have this one evening a week to carry forward this important and traditional program. We ask that they not schedule events that will require the time of children on Monday evenings. We are confident that they will realize that it is most important that families have the opportunity, at least once a week, to be together without conflicting loyalties. (Gordon B. Hinckley, To The Men Of The Priesthood, October 2002 General Conference)Monday night is not available for school activities. The weekly youth activity may fall on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.Memo to schools: All games, concerts, plays etc. must end before 6:00 pm to allow for the LDS youth to attend FHE on Monday or their weekly activity Tuesday through Thursday.
Jigglysaint Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Team sports are a waste of time, especially Football.
Beowulf Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Bro. Oaks was talking about youth sports leagues, that leave mothers frazzled, ferrying kids from one league sport game or practice to the next, giving the kids no time for anything else (bad things such as TV or video games, its true, but also good things such as dinner with the family, homework, and just playing around with little brothers).I thought it was spot on, personally.Beowulf
Bond...James Bond Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Just what our lard butt country needs....less sports and athletic activities. (Although I totally agree about the video games.....but why bring up sporting events that are good for people's physical health and teaching good lessons about physical activity, teamwork, and team spirit?)
structurecop Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 It reminds me of the fast and testimony meeting where both Abercrombie and youth soccer were condemned as unfit for LDS families.
Bond...James Bond Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Team sports are a waste of time, especially Football.What about individual sports?
The Nehor Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Just what our lard butt country needs....less sports and athletic activities. (Although I totally agree about the video games.....but why bring up sporting events that are good for people's physical health and teaching good lessons about physical activity, teamwork, and team spirit?)What we need are shorter school hours, less homework, and to turn public education from a government-sponsored daycare into a real educational experience.I'm pretty sure Elder Oaks was not complaining about once a week practice with a game every other weekend. Some kids drown in these activities and have no time left for family and uncoordinated physical activity. Give them some water guns or a hockey net and some rollerblades and by all means, let them outside but frantic overscheduling is an epidemic in some groups of LDS.
Daniel Peterson Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Team sports are in the same "wasting time" category as video games?I don't think he was suggesting that.Anything, even any good thing, can grow to such proportions that it interferes with family life and leaves too little time for personal relationships.Careers, hobbies, message boards, travel -- not bad things in and of themselves (except, maybe, for message boards). But, carried too far, they can damage other good things.
Bond...James Bond Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 What we need are shorter school hours, less homework, and to turn public education from a government-sponsored daycare into a real educational experience.Yes to the last (turn school into an educational experience [or at least a better one]) but shortening the amount of class time and cutting homework equals more time with Halo 3 for most kids. If they had mandatory gym for an hour at school and had to add an hour to the school day I would be all for it.I'm pretty sure Elder Oaks was not complaining about once a week practice with a game every other weekend. Some kids drown in these activities and have no time left for family and uncoordinated physical activity. Give them some water guns or a hockey net and some rollerblades and by all means, let them outside but frantic overscheduling is an epidemic in some groups of LDS.Overscheduling??? How many LDS church activities are people having to go to? Everytime I go by the LDS Church down the road their are cars in the parking lot. How about cutting down on the time at church rather than the time with sports teams?Stop structuring a whole night for "Family Home Evening" and let people have more flexible spiritual schedules if they have to have them, rather than having to chop awhole night out of the week for church stuff.
freakin a man Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Team sports are in the same "wasting time" category as video games?No such thing as a waste of time on a good video game. My 5 year old and I get some good bonding moments as we play Command and Conquer and Call of Duty.
Beowulf Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Well, actually, the Church IS cutting down on its over-scheduling.We used to have Primary on a weekday afternoon (when I was that age). Now it is only on Sunday. We used to have meetings morning, noon, and night on Sunday. Now we have it in a concise three-hour block.These (and other changes) were all designed to give families more time to be together. Bro. Oaks is just proceeding farther down the same theme.Beowulf
Hoops22 Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 This one size fits all approach is ridiculous. Our kids need more exercize, more team sports, and more sense of belonging to something other than the church.
The Nehor Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Overscheduling??? How many LDS church activities are people having to go to? Everytime I go by the LDS Church down the road their are cars in the parking lot. How about cutting down on the time at church rather than the time with sports teams?Stop structuring a whole night for "Family Home Evening" and let people have more flexible spiritual schedules if they have to have them, rather than having to chop awhole night out of the week for church stuff.The average LDS Youth has Mutual and then an additional something 1-2 times a month (dance, meeting, whatever) plus Seminary. In Time-release programs Seminary requires no more time than anyone else and in early-morning areas it uses up time that is generally not already scheduled. In Primary it's probably just once a month and no mutual. The calendar gets much busier in YSA in the sense that there is more to do but there is also not an expected attendance.Adult's schedules depend on their calling and go from Sunday Meetings and that's it up to a Bishop or Stake President's schedule. Even there the admonition from the Brethren lately to people in those callings is to spend more time at home. The advice given to my father when he was Bishop was to spend Sunday and one night of the week on his calling and not to feel obligated to attend every other function. It's actually not that intense a schedule. Virtually every Team Sport out there requires more time than Mutual or Primary asks.
koakaipo Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 I think he was talking about extremes too personally. Where I live there is this weird thing going on where parents really think the more they place their kids in organized activities, the better it is for them. And the result is, as others have pointed out, they have less free time to have more spontaneous play that is really important for their development on various levels. It's a variation on keeping up with the Jones' and the more competitive parents get with one another about organized play(particularly with sports), the more insanely competitive and cutthroat kids' leagues are getting. WHere I live? You gotta get your kid in basketball by 2nd grade or else they will be left in the dust, and that's totally lame to me. My kids get to do one sport each semester because they love it, but I won't let them do more than one.As for church activities though-you know it's up to parents and families to decide if they need to sit out some church activities too. I do that when I think it's best honestly-if my kid's stressed about school work or a day comes around where the whole family can be together, we will sit out activities. I like support the various programs, but sometimes family time is going to be the top priority.Oh, and video games are fun, but we only let them play an hour a week. So, again, it's about parents taking control.
SeattleGrunge Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 What we need are shorter school hours, less homework, and to turn public education from a government-sponsored daycare into a real educational experience.I'm pretty sure Elder Oaks was not complaining about once a week practice with a game every other weekend. Some kids drown in these activities and have no time left for family and uncoordinated physical activity. Give them some water guns or a hockey net and some rollerblades and by all means, let them outside but frantic overscheduling is an epidemic in some groups of LDS.I totally agree (except that it isn't just an LDS issue if you were inferring that). Why do people so frequently take what the leaders say and try to slightly twist it into something it wasn't intended as?
The Nehor Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 I totally agree (except that it isn't just an LDS issue if you were inferring that). Why do people so frequently take what the leaders say and try to slightly twist it into something it wasn't intended as?The whole 'easily offended' thing. On the bright side if they weren't we'd have an unfulfilled prophecy so we dodged that bullet.
Bernard Gui Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Memo to schools: All games, concerts, plays etc. must end before 6:00 pm to allow for the LDS youth to attend FHE on Monday or their weekly activity Tuesday through Thursday.In the community where I teach school, there was an unspoken rule that no school activities be held on Wednesday nights, because the local EV churches held their bible study classes on that night, and they were the majority religion. That has changed with changing demographics, yet I still have students whose parents request I not have concerts on Wednesday nights.Bernard
Bernard Gui Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 It reminds me of the fast and testimony meeting where both Abercrombie and youth soccer were condemned as unfit for LDS families.There are youth soccer leagues in our community that play as far awayas Canada, and kids spend their entire weekends travelling to games.I think that is just a bit excessive. As far as Abercrombie and Filth....Bernard
Bernard Gui Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 [quote name='Bond...James Bond' date='Oct 11 2007, 07:53 PM' post='12082}Overscheduling??? How many LDS church activities are people having to go to? Everytime I go by the LDS Church down the road their are cars in the parking lot. How about cutting down on the time at church rather than the time with sports teams?
jadams_4242 Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Just what our lard butt country needs....less sports and athletic activities. (Although I totally agree about the video games.....but why bring up sporting events that are good for people's physical health and teaching good lessons about physical activity, teamwork, and team spirit?) Although sports are "basically" a good thing, family home evening is "all" good!
Hoops22 Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Although sports are "basically" a good thing, family home evening is "all" good! Rhetorical two step. What if you're family is lousy? Then the more sports the better. I know a lot of kids who are much better off on the playing field as much as possible than at home.
Daniel Peterson Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Stop structuring a whole night for "Family Home Evening" and let people have more flexible spiritual schedules if they have to have them, rather than having to chop awhole night out of the week for church stuff.I don't see how trying to ensure the Monday night is open for family activities -- not necessarily "church stuff" in the oppressive sense that you imagine it -- is a bad thing, nor how it forbids people from doing whatever they want on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.It seems that some critics of Mormonism are rather desperate for things to complain about.
jadams_4242 Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Rhetorical two step. What if you're family is lousy? Then the more sports the better. I know a lot of kids who are much better off on the playing field as much as possible than at home.Well if your family is not a high pointer family, then family home evening is nessacary practice time to get it into shape..
Deborah Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Team sports are in the same "wasting time" category as video games?Back in the old days, when I was a kid (so you know it's really the old days) we didn't need organized sports. Kids were outside all the time playing their own games. Today's organized sports take away the spontaneity, can cost a lot of money and cause a lot of stress, especially when parents have more than one child to get to practices and games. I know: been there, done that. I frankly think we were better off doing our own thing and doing things with families and friends and the neighborhood instead of signing up, paying up and having to play on a schedule.
The Nehor Posted October 12, 2007 Posted October 12, 2007 Rhetorical two step. What if you're family is lousy? Then the more sports the better. I know a lot of kids who are much better off on the playing field as much as possible than at home.The Gospel is directed at those trying to succeed. If a family is dysfunctional and no one wants to change it we have nothing to offer them anyways. Why are they listening to conference?
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