I just read this article about how full kids' schedules are nowadays and I think it's right on the money. My two get really stressed if we're out all day and they don't have a good chunk of time at home when they can do their own thing, whether it be cooking, working on a project, or just reading a good book. You have to wonder how kids cope when they're at school all day and are then sent off to various activities in the evenings and on weekends. How are they supposed to formulate their own thoughts and figure out who they are if they don't have time to just be?
No Time for Childhood
Call it "hyper-parenting," and it's rampant, according to Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld.
This child-rearing phenomenon has well-meaning parents delivering kids to an endless array of academic, social and athletic activities and programs in order to accelerate accomplishments and enrich childhood.
"Over-scheduled lives have become the norm. Parents feel remiss, even neglectful, if they don't fulfil every iota of a child's potential," says Rosenfeld, an author and child psychiatrist in New York.
So adhering to a relentless to-do list in order to make kids the very best they can be is the name of the game. It's widely believed to be the sign of good parenting, but just who is it good for and at what cost?
Read the rest of the article here.
About Me
- Cheryl
- I'm an avid gardener, food lover, cookbook hoarder, and environmentalist. After years of biding our time in the city, waiting for the chance to move to the country and live out our rural dream, we're finally in the process of building a "not so big house" on a gorgeous acre and a half just outside the city. We're planning to do much of the work ourselves, and are using as many "green" and or recycled materials as possible. Living on one income in order to homeschool our two children has given us a keen interest in what it takes to live frugally, and has led us to growing as much of our own food as possible, as well as making most of what we eat from scratch. We're discovering that, more often than not, living frugally and living sustainably go hand in hand.
1 comment:
One of the reasons my boys participated in very little duringthe school year--a day at school was enough. Many things I saved for summer. Now with my youngest and homeschooling, we can do more of what he enjoys and not be burned out.
Post a Comment