I'm not sure what to think either, but that's definitely the mindset. We see kids all the time who cut way back or drop out of extracurricular becuase of their heavy academic load; Or worse, the kids who stay on in the teams or clubs but rarely show up and don't pull their weight. Lots of "creative resume writing", leadership titles that are for show or in name only, you get the drift. And don't get me started on the choice of extracurriculars- much of that seems parent-driven but it's just as bad, or worse (making a kid drop piano because they haven't placed first in the most recent round of competitions, or dropping something because there is no pathway to a national medal or recognition, making a kid study oboe because they believe there is a better chance at making all-state, not allowing a kid to attend prom or senior ball because their grades were deemed not good enough....). It's become quite the arms race, and we don't even live in a big city or super zip area. I think we will be lucky to get our kids through relatively intact .
