I'm struggling with my child's extracurricular activities, not knowing what the right answer is

"What should we do about extracurricular activities soon?"

These words started coming up around the time they were about to enter the middle year of preschool.

Looking around at others,

・Swimming
・Gymnastics class
・English
・Piano
・Soccer

Before I knew it, everyone had started something.

Honestly, I felt anxious.

The feeling of a parent comparing their child

"Should we have started already?"
"Are we falling behind?"

When I look at social media,

"English from age 3"
"Back handsprings by the final year of preschool"...

There is too much information, which makes me even more confused.

But the thing I don't understand the most is,

what is actually right for my child.

A parent's ideals versus a child's true feelings

To be honest,

・I want them to exercise
・I want them to develop concentration
・I want them to do something that will be useful in the future

I do have parental desires.

But what about the child themselves?

Even when we go to a trial class,

"That was fun!"

Even as I say that,

When I ask, "Do you want to go again?" they make a hesitant face.

Hmm, how should I take that?

Is it important to keep going? Or is it about compatibility?

What is often said is,

"First of all, it's important to keep going."

But,

I also feel that forcing them to continue something that doesn't suit them isn't right either.

At the same time,
I don't want them to develop a habit of quitting easily.

Perhaps the parent's criteria for judgment are actually the most ambiguous.

The money issue is also real.

Monthly fees.
Enrollment fees.
Uniforms.
Necessary equipment.
And so on.

It adds up more than you'd expect.

I waver between "I want to let them try it" and "Can they keep it up?"

Things I've been thinking about lately

Extracurricular activities,

rather than being "places to develop skills,"

might be gateways to broadening their world.

Rather than getting better at something,

・Learning about a world they didn't know
・Meeting different adults
・Having the experience of failing

Isn't there meaning in just that?

I still don't know the right answer

I'm still searching.

We went to a few trial lessons, and
there are some we quit.

But one thing I do think is,

The child isn't as anxious as the parent is.

Perhaps,

rather than "what to have them learn,"

how the parent watches over themmight be more important.

What are you all doing?

・What criteria did you use to choose?
・How did you decide whether to continue?
・Which extracurricular activities were worth it?

Precisely because there is no right answer,
I would love to hear stories from various families.