the reality: This is practically impossible, unless you actively discourage your children from pursuing their interests and hanging out with their friends.

I'll be honest: Before my kids hit kindergarten, I looked at parents frantically driving from one scheduled activity to the next and thought, "No way." Now, deep into piano lessons, Scout meetings, soccer practice, ballet (I could go on), guess what? My kids are thriving and happy. We just reserve a few nights a week for quiet family time so the kids don't feel too pressured.

"Whatever happened to kids just going outside to play?" asked my sister on a recent visit, while we reminisced about our own more laid-back childhoods. Whether we like it or not, I pointed out, it's a fact of 21st-century life that if you send your kid out to play, there's no one there to play with. They're all doing after-school activities.