Does your family suffer from Over Scheduling Disorder (OSD)??

For many families, parenting has become an F-4 tornado, characterized by a frenzied whirlwind of activity.


This is not good for kids…or anybody else!

Much of this chaos has evolved out of the misguided belief that children must be entertained or "stimulated" each and every millisecond of each and every day. While pop psychologists may think this is wise, the rest of us ought to know better. Kids who never have an opportunity to rest, relax and get a bit bored, come to believe that life and relationships should always be exciting and fun. They also miss opportunities to develop creativity and problem-solving skills.

If you answer "yes" to any of the following statements, you and your kids probably suffer from OSD:

• You're completely worn out from trying to help your kids participate in all of your activities
• Your kids appear anxious, irritable, stressed, exhausted or hyperactive
• Your kids don't have enough time to contribute to the family by doing their chores
• Your kids complain about being bored any time they aren't being entertained

Although there's no medicinal cure for OSD, we can protect our families by giving ourselves permission to say "no" to too many activities. My personal advice as someone who's experienced this debilitating disorder is to trust your gut.

If you have any sense that your kids are overscheduled, trust your intuition.

Also be prepared to repeat, "I love you too much to argue" when your kids complain about being bored. In our book Love and Logic Magic: When Kids Leave You Speechless, we give specific tips for kids who are going through withdrawal from the drug of over-activity.

Thanks for reading!
Dr. Charles Fay