Am I a Bad Mom For Not Having Our Son in Tons of Activities?

We're not "on the go" every night, and for some reason, I feel bad about that.

I just started teaching dance for a school in Davison on Monday nights. I was talking to one of my dance dads, and he started going down the list of activities that his daughters are in.

"Well, on Mondays after school, they have volleyball camp before they get dropped off here at dance class. Then, on Tuesdays, they have piano lessons. On Thursdays, they have choir, which is nice because they're both at church at the same time."

My jaw was on the floor throughout the entire conversation. I said to him, "You and your wife must be exhausted!" And I instantly felt bad because our son, who is 12, isn't in any activities outside of school right now. Not one.

He did karate for four years and earned his red belt, but when he switched to middle school, he said he wanted to focus on band class, which happens during school hours. He doesn't take private lessons. He used to take an Irish dance class, but the school closed and he chose not to pursue it elsewhere.

He's mentioned some interest in a hip hop dance class or a theatre class, but he doesn't press us on it. And I'm not going to force him to do anything; if he wants to do it, he'll be persistent about it.

I'm okay with him just "doing school" right now. He just entered middle school, so that's a transition in itself. But I don't feel bad about not having him in activities every single day. If that makes me a bad mom, so be it.

I feel like extracurricular activities have an ebb-and-flow to them, and at this very moment, taking a break is just fine.