re: Parents of the OT: How much do you spend on your kids' activities?

I gave my kids a stick and sent them out the back door to play in the yard. $0/month

It depends on what we spend at tournaments. My 10yr old plays club soccer and there are at least two tournaments a month, I think 10 or so this fall.

Hotel rooms and dining out over that span gets expensive. He wonders why I push him to give his all every damn practice.

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You only have them for 18 or 19 years. Do everything you can with them. Just don't push sports down their throat if they don't enjoy it.

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This is why we limit to one sport per season. Little Bham loves sports and would probably play them all if we let him, but he's 5, and we'd like him to limit them. I know his school will have a few clubs he can join once he's a little older too, which we'll consider if he's interested.

I'm not sure what I'll do with Toddler Bham when she gets older. She really likes to dance right now, but I'm a little nervous to fall down that money-sucking rabbit hole. Plus, I know a few people who's kids are doing the dance/gymnastics/cheer thing. Some of the pictures from recitals/meets/events are a little disturbing between the costumes and the make up. They're 3, not 23 ... let them be kids.

This thread is pretty much assuring that I only have one kid, unless there is an accident or twins.

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This thread is pretty much assuring that I only have one kid, unless there is an accident or twins.

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Amen

reading this thread makes me so depressed.

these little terrorists demand so much time and money, and likely show zero gratitude because they're kids. i could see where it might be worth it though if your kid ends up dominating other kids in their chosen activity. to watch your kid smash a line drive through the legs of some day-dreaming weakling who never learned to get their glove on the ground, or watching your kid destroy a chopin piece while his asian nemesis chokes under pressure, realizing he won't see the light of day for a couple of months...that could be pretty fun.

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I often wonder what it would be like if my boy was one of the 'other' kids. Not sure I'd go through all of this...which is sad. Those parents support their little slow arse kids who can't do shite out there, I mean that's dedication. I couldn't do it.

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you realize someone out there feels the exact same about you and your kid, right?

I spend around $2,500/month on my son's competitive martial arts. However, that number is skewed by the fact that traveling to tournaments is our primary "family time." For example, if we're going to a tournament in Las Vegas, we're staying in Vegas for 5 or 6 days and doing other stuff too. If we're doing a tournament in Orlando, we're staying at Universal and hitting the parks for a few days. In the past year or two we've hit Las Vegas, Orlando, Hilton Head Island, Anaheim, Richmond, Washington DC, Sandestin, Panama City, Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago, San Antonio, El Paso, St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Little Rock, Memphis, etc. So all the money isn't specifically spent on karate, but we wouldn't be going to most of the places if it weren't for karate. While some people think it's crazy, for me it's well worth it because there's nothing more fun than a good family road trip (we drive to most of them), and you're creating family memories that will last a lifetime. And while many kids try to make a career out of karate (and many do quite successfully), for us it's nothing more than a hobby.

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I spend around $2,500/month on my son's competitive martial arts. However, that number is skewed by the fact that traveling to tournaments is our primary "family time."

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Rebel. Yes. We have tirelessly tried everything and the Puramino was the only thing that worked.

At 2 weeks old she spent 2 weeks in the hospital with RSV and pneumonia, developed extreme reflux, etc.

Diet consists of Puramino and Prevacid (luckily that script is free, out of pocket it is $209)

ETA: Getting much better though. Aside from the multiple projectile spit-ups every day which has just become the norm.