Abstract

In the United States, working middle class parents organize for their children’s future success and, increasingly, extra-curricular activity becomes the socializing mechanism for this preparation. In this article, we take an anthropological approach to examine the following: 1) the nature and amount of extra-curricular activity families organize for their children; 2) the meanings parents’ attribute to their children’s well-being and future educational and personal success. At the same time, the augmented commitment to arranging children’s lives has resulted in a new family form defined by intensified busyness as families negotiate the demands of work, home, and children’s development.