Overscheduled

I'm struck by how much scheduling goes on with families these days. I'm not sure what it's rooted in, but it seems near universal. Except for one or two families that we know, almost every one of our friends runs themselves ragged with appointments, and several things result from this.

The children tend to be exhausted and pushed to the limit. The parents are frazzled and stressed. And everyone becomes accustomed, or should I say addicted to it. They can't sit still, and need to be constantly entertained.

And they all, without question, complain about it, yet continue along the same vein voluntarily. What is all this rooted in?