| What happened to childhood? |
| It seems that so many parents these days don't want to allow their kids to be kids. They are in such a hurry for them to grow up that they miss out on what used to be the essence of childhood. With Vtech to Leapfrog to Baby Einstein, children are under pressure from the start to learn the alphabet, colors and math concepts. They have Color Wonder, which only colors on the paper that comes with it, and some only color the pictures inside the lines. How is that considered being creative?
People have tutors for their preschoolers so they won't be behind when they start Kindergarten. What children have to know to start Kindergarten is what used to be taught in Kindergarten.
Then after school there's soccer, dance class, piano, karate or whatever other lessons or activities kids get involved in. Then when they get home from pracitice there's homework. By the time that's finished, it's dinner and bed usually.
So my question is, with all this when do kids get to be kids? When do they have down time, time to kick a ball around, pick dandelions and blow the seeds off it, lay on the grass and watch the clouds float by, seeing what shapes they look like, or catch fireflies? This is what being a kid is all about. People want to have children, but they don't want to let them be children. This is the only time in their lives when they can be so carefree, so I say let them. |
| See also: preschoolers, education, childhood |
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| Answers: |
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Hi Marcia,
I agree with you 100%. I don't know why the competition has to start so early in life!
Why instead of teaching kids to be better accademically or in sport we don't focus on making them better human beings:
share their toys, their knowledge, learn to be friends and cooperative.
I want my kids to have down time everyday. They just need time to run in the park without any structured activity.
Then we wonder why kids are burn out, I will be too if I had so many new thing to learn everyday!
pia |
| posted by pia on 06/14/2007 |
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| I agree with what you both have said. I have five children, and during the school year, I felt as though I hardly saw them. I would like them to be able to do things they enjoy, but also have time with them. My oldest no longer enjoys school for many reasons. I feel homeschooling is going to be better for them, because we are able to teach them at their own pace, and give them the chance to enjoy childhood, and really see things in nature and elsewhere. |
| posted by rebecca on 06/14/2007 |
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| In my household, we have always mimicked what we did as kids to our own children. We believe in "rest", "quiet time", spending time together. We love planting in the garden and watching our crops grow. Even my 14 year old son enjoys watering the garden. Yes, I agree, alot of parents put their kids on an "entertainment schedule". My husband and I do not believe in the "busy mode". I wish more parents would follow that regimen instead of always being busy. |
| posted by esther on 06/14/2007 |
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OHHHHHHH This topic is RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!!!!!! I argue all the time that the reason kids are trouble these days is they don't know how to go OUTSIDE and EXPLORE! What happened to Mud pies, Bicycle rides and CLIMBING TREES????????? Now a days, the tree has to be made out of Recycled Cardboard, with rubber mats underneath so they can't be hurt.
HERE"S to letting KIDS B KIDS!!!!!!!!! |
| posted by Jodi on 09/26/2007 |
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| I am soooo happy to be reading this blog. I have so many friends that want their children to be the best at EVERYTHING, and invovled in EVERYTHING. It just causes sooo much stress and anxiety n both the children and the parents. I believe in bringing the family together after school, and enjoying things together. Why are more parents not choosing to spend this precious time to connect with their kids, as a family unit. The stress of lessons (after they've already been taught lessons all day at school), and so many other evnts, are great to a point. If it is a one night a week thing to let them explore something of their chioce that they look forward to then I'm for it. Otherwise, stop pressuring these babes to grow up and experience stress so early in life. |
| posted by cynthia on 09/26/2007 |
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| when i was growingup, which wasnt long ago, lol, if we said the word :bored" it was like swearing. we didnt own any video games, if we were good, once a month my mo mwould rent us a nintendo 64. lol and we only got to play donkey kong and mario brothers. none of this see how many ppl you cna kill on each level. and they wonder whythere are school shootings and kids beating up their parents and other kids!!!! you have got to be kidding me!!!! we built so many tree forts and went fishing and actually walked to the river. you tell a kid today to walk some where and they laugh at you. rather play video games or sit on myspace. my 16 year old brother in law sits infront of the computer all night. no wonder the obesity rate is sky rocketing for youth. i think its ridiculous. play monopoly, operation, battle ship, climb a tree, go fishing, play in the mud, dance in the rain!!! our favorite thing to do growing up, my mom did it with us, was playing in the rain, not in lightning ones, but it would rain, and right away, me, my mom, brother, and neighbors were outside in our clothes runnign around in it. we need to find ourselves again and stop depending on technoligy to entertain us and our kidsx. |
| posted by Devon on 09/27/2007 |
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| I think what one of the biggest problems these days is we are afraid of hurt our kids' feelings! We install in them that if you're not the best, fastest, smartest, or best looking then there's nothing in life for them. I've always taught my kids that if you try I will be proud and that beauty has nothing to do with the way a person looks. My little sister has been brought up with piano lessons, gymnastics, toutoring, the works! She has lost more friends trying to out do them then I've seen a grown woman loose in a lifetime! I remember being told to go outside and play cause it was too nice to be inside. Most parents let the television act as a babysitter. Instead of board games and family dinners there's now video games and drive throughs! This makes me sick to think that children are raised this way, all we can do is try to raise our own children with the morals we hope the will take into the rest of their lives! |
| posted by Danae on 10/24/2007 |
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I agree with you 100%!!!!!
My friend's have had their kids in gymnastics, karate and everything under the sun. Then in kindergarten, they get HOMEWORK!??? What's up with that? I remember my kindergarten class (that was 1975!) and I never had homework. That was before day cares were everywhere and all.
I'm lucky that I'm a SAHM, but we do make sacrifices. I think that spending time enjoying being at home with me and the family time that we make sure we have (when my hubby isn't working) and do creative things. I guess because we are both creative parents, we have that free spirit... I think that spending time with family is waaaay more important than a kid having to play soccer or whatever to give them "social skills". I mean, really.. I'm 37 and I'm still learning how to deal with people and life. We always are. What are we really preparing them for? Just schedules? I'm anti-schedule. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was brought up in a very structured, very Italian-Catholic strict home and I am going against it all.
Wait til my family hears I want to HOMESCHOOL!!!!! |
| posted by Rachelle on 02/01/2008 |
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