"When my kids come home from school, they are bears. They fight over the smallest things! I stay out of their way just to avoid an argument."
"I can't believe all the work they have to do. School is so different than when we went. It seems like they never get to do anything fun."
"Every morning, he says he has a stomach ache. He hates going to school, and I don't blame him."
Schools are different today. Teachers and administrators take pride in how quietly the children sit and work. Skills like reading and math are paramount, even in the youngest grades. There's very little childhood left in elementary schools. Even on social levels, children are expected to behave like evolved, enlightened adults (behavior which is not even expected or displayed by the grownups in their lives!)
After School is a collection of sensory and physical activities, and mental challenges designed for family recreation and reconnection. In other words, it's fun.